Savior
by GuardofLiberty
Summary: Helga is reeling at the news that Olga has completed her degree early and is moving home, and at a precarious time. Olga having a new man in her life only promises to complicate matters even further. But the whims of fortune are chaotic and sometimes even smile through harshness.
1. The Worst News

**I've stumbled upon some of these old Hey Arnold! episodes and an idea just came to my head. I'd forgotten just how good of a show this was in general, and the story around the Pataki family in particular. I know I have other stuff on here, and some of which I haven't updated in a while but still intend to finish, but when your creative juices get flowing it's hard to resist, even when working on more serious projects.**

**Anyway, tell me what you all think.**

**This story takes place a year later, so all the kids are in 5th grade now.**

* * *

><p>"That's it Phoebe, take five minutes and get your head back in your script!" Helga yelled, annoyed that her best friend, for all her smarts, simply malfunctioned at times when she came under pressure.<p>

"Taking!" Phoebe nervously squeaked out to disarm her sometimes intimidating friend.

Helga growled. "From the top people! From the top!"

"I don't know Arnold, why exactly are we doing this for Helga Pataki again?" Gerald Johanssen asked his best friend.

"C'mon Gerald...it's not that bad." Arnold answered with his distinctive tone of voice, always trying to do the right thing. "This play means so much to Helga, and at least we aren't fruits this time." He grinned, remembering last year's play.

"Arnold, remember, this is the girl that teases and torments you on a daily basis." Gerald answered skeptically.

"She's not that bad." Arnold answered. "It can be annoying but I don't think she means anything by it."

Gerald sighed, remembering that it was useless to argue with Arnold over these kinds of things. "Whatever you say, man."

Helga was the playwright and director of another theater production at P.S. 118. In honor of the upcoming Presidents' Day, this time her play was one about the various Presidents.

Helga paced back and forth on the stage. Everything needed to be perfect. She was quite pleased with the costumes that Sheena managed to make, and her teachers and even Principal Wartz had been very encouraging. Helga watched over her actors like a hawk, nodding in approval at the exchange between Rhonda, who played the part of Harry Truman, and Nadine, who for this occasion was Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

"Now that, people, is how you act!" Helga lectured. Rhonda characteristically soaked up the praise and posed in its limelight.

"C'mon Helga it's been over two hours already!" Harold Berman characteristically complained.

Helga growled and seized him by the collar, threatening with her fist.

"All you need to do is be a buffoon! I don't think this part should be so difficult for you!" She growled again, referring to Harold's role as President James Buchanan.

"Helga...I do think it might be time for us to leave. We do need to eat dinner to feel refreshed for tomorrow, after all." Phoebe said, characteristically delicate.

Helga released Harold.

"Fine. All of you go home. I want to see you all tomorrow after school at the same time to practice and for you to get your costumes." She ordered.

With mutterings and musings, the 5th graders of P.S. 118 began to disperse.

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you Phoebe, our vacation is gonna be a blast." She said rather nonchalantly.<p>

"Yes, it should be exciting." Phoebe agreed. "But the play's the thing right now. The vacation will be your just reward for a play well-done." Phoebe stated with a small smile.

Helga smiled back at the shorter girl as the two arrived at Helga's building.

"So Helga, do you think I can eat dinner here with you?" Phoebe asked.

Helga was about to reply in the affirmative when a loud, piercing voice filled the air around them which seemed like it could shatter glass.

**"OH FOR CRYIN' OUT LOUD MIRIAM! WHY DO YOU ALWAYS BURN WHATEVER IT IS YOU COOK!"**

Helga looked at Phoebe with an expression that was ho-hum and did not betray any surprise or even discomfort.

"Better make it another time, Pheobs."

"Making!" Phoebe smiled before exchanging her goodbyes and tip-toeing quietly away, as if not to draw the voice's attention towards her.

Helga stepped inside, putting her backpack in the closet and her coat on a rack.

"Bob, Miriam, I'm home!" She said in a mock niceness, not expecting a response from either.

Helga stepped toward the kitchen to eat whatever it was that Miriam made, and then get to her room as quickly as possible.

* * *

><p>"So, uh...Helga..." Miriam slurred, taking another sip of her usual smoothie. "How's that...play...that you're working on...?"<p>

"Just peachy Miriam." She gritted, unnoticed by her mother.

"So, uh, Olga, when's the thing again?" Big Bob Pataki asked without looking up from his food.

"Next week." Helga again gritted. She did not even care that her father again used the wrong name.

"Oh good I thought it was gonna be tomorrow!" Big Bob sighed in relief. "I've got a clearance sale, then we get a whole new shipment of the latest and greatest beepers!"

Helga grumbled in mockery.

"You say somethin' little lady?" Her father asked.

"No." Helga said innocently.

* * *

><p>Helga had just finished brushing her teeth and was preparing to go to bed. She closed her door and leaned against the wall, looking both ways and listening to make sure that all was quiet. Satisfied that the conditions were right, Helga hurried into her closet and shut the door behind her. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it- a statue with a football shaped head. Her idol to Arnold.<p>

"Oh Arnold!" She bowed before it, kissing the floor at the statue's feet. "As the play draws closer and closer, please give me the strength I need!"

Suddenly a loud voice interrupted her, but uncharacteristically in her house, it was one of joy.

"OH OLGA THAT'S TERRIFIC! I'M SO EXCITED!"

Helga felt like she had just been punched in the stomach, her eyes wide as saucers. She put her ear to her wall. Any mention of her sister's name set off a siren in her soul.

"You managed to complete your degree a semester early?! Oh I'm so proud of you honey!" Miriam's muffled voice made its way through the walls to Helga's ears. "Oh you're kidding! You're coming back home?!" She could barely contain her excitement.

Helga felt like she was dropped off a cliff.

"Oh of course we'll get you a ticket for your sister's play, dear!" Miriam continued to gush. "I'm sure it'll mean so much to her that you're there for it!"

Now Helga felt like she was bitten by a shark after being dropped off the cliff.

"Sure thing honey, we'll come pick you up at the airport the day after tomorrow." Miriam planned. "OK I'll see you then, bye." She hung up the phone.

"B, I'VE GOT SOME GREAT NEWS!" Miriam gushed as she rushed down the hallway.

Helga only looked at the statue of Arnold with a scowl on her face, which softened as its image entered her mind.

"Arnold, fate has decreed that I must now, and so unexpectedly, face the nightmare that I dreaded the most. Why, oh why, did the worst news in the world need to reach my ears, and when I was with you? Now, my dear, sweet, love, I must call upon your strength and bring it into my heart! Give it to me so that I may face the onslaught of Olga with bravery and success!" She began to kiss the idol's lips when Miriam knocked on her room's door.

"Helga! Helga!"

Helga moved out of the closet and gave a meek "Yes mother?"

"Did you remember to take...your constipation medicine?"

"Yes, Miriam." She answered daintily.

"Alright...dear, I've got some good news to tell you tomorrow."

Miriam walked away and Helga slumped onto her bed, burying her face in her pillow, and then banging into it over and over again. Finally, she managed to fall asleep.


	2. But I Don't Want to See My Sister!

"CRIMINY PEOPLE, CAN'T YOU GET ANYTHING RIGHT?!" Helga yelled angrily as Stinky, Sid, and Harold, the usual three troublemakers, once again messed up their scene.

She stamped her foot on the ground in an angry, hurrying fashion. While Helga was never Miss Sunshine and always a grueling taskmaster when she was put in charge of something, her classmates noticed that she was more irritable and demanding than usual. She turned around to see a certain beautiful football-headed creature standing comfortingly near her. She broke into a reverie, but quickly realized what she was doing and narrowed her unibrow.

"What are you looking at football head?!" She sneered.

"Helga, it's been hours, and you're being extremely rude today." Arnold lectured.

"Yeah, so what football head? We're on crunch time now and...and...I don't know just get out of my face alright?!" She seethed.

Arnold narrowed his eyes. "Helga, this wouldn't happen to be related to your sister coming home would it?" He asked skeptically.

Helga darted her eyes around the room. "I...I...it isn't!" She objected.

"Helga, you can't avoid going home tonight. We can't stay here forever."

Helga looked around, glaring at everyone. They were getting restless. It had grown dark outside a while ago. All looked at her with longing faces.

"Helga...I know you want your play to go well but don't use _us_ as an excuse to avoid your sister!" Gerald said somewhat angrily.

Helga looked around again. People were leaning in, anticipating her response.

"Oh alright! Go home and be back here tomorrow! Full dress rehearsal!" She ordered.

Helga grumbled when Arnold's voice interrupted her.

"Helga, why don't you just give your sister a chance this time?" Arnold asked skeptically as the two left P.S. 118's auditorium and got on the bus. "You're always hostile to her every time she comes home."

"Because it's the same thing every time, Arnoldo." Helga answered with a frown. "Nothing ever changes. Olga comes to town, sucks up all the attention, and _never_ listens to me. And now she gets to come to my play to make me even more miserable." Helga grumbled.

"Helga, don't you think you should at least try to have a serious talk with her? Shouldn't you take it as a compliment that she thought enough about you to keep track of your play over what must have been her hectic last weeks at college and now she wants to come and see it on its debut?"

"You just don't get it, Arnoldo. And you Never. Will. Got it?" Helga grumbled with a frown.

Arnold nodded, slow and wide-eyed as the bus reached Helga's stop. She frowned at him again and got off.

"Arnold. What a do-gooder. What a crusader. What a naive annoying little twerp. How I hate him."

Helga looked around both sides of the street and ducked into an alley.

"And yet...I love him!" Helga swooned as she pulled out her locket with his picture. "Oh Arnold, always trying to do what's right, always bringing light to my tormented soul with your kind-hearted naivety. Oh how I love the sincerity in your heart!" Helga half-expected Brainy to be breathing down her neck at her monologue's conclusion, but she realized it was late and even he had to be home.

Helga walked the last block to her house and heard it grow louder.

The music coming from a piano.

The notes assaulted her ears, becoming louder and louder with each step. Helga didn't want to move forward any further, but it seemed that the hypnotic sounds of the piano in the Pataki household pulled her feet forward like a tractor beam. She groaned.

Helga walked up the porch and sighed deeply as she opened the door.

"BABY SISTER IS THAT YOU?!" A loud and bubbly voice greeted.


	3. I Need Another Ticket

"BABY SISTER IS THAT YOU?!"

Olga's voice might as well have been a heavy bombardment to Helga's ears, the shrilling screams of incoming artillery. She'd appeared in the hallway.

"Yep Olga, it sure is." Helga bitingly remarked back with a faux excitement that would be obvious to anyone a mile away, except if your name was Olga Pataki.

"Oh Helga, you're such a little silly! Now come over here and give your big sis a big smooch!"

Helga walked forward like a zombie into Olga's embrace, not putting up any kind of fight or showing emotion as Olga kissed her on the forehead.

"What's going on?" Robert "Big Bob" Pataki said with a blank face as he marched out into the hallway, accompanied by Miriam holding a glass with both hands. "Oh good, the girl's home." He muttered. "Now we can eat! What have you made this time, Olga?"

"Well I've made a full-course Mediterranean dinner and a chocolate souffle for desert!" Olga replied in her usual upbeat tone.

"Sounds great Olga!" Bob laughed.

* * *

><p>"And so I was given a standing ovation at my final concerto on campus with roses at my feet before taking a bow and waving to my adoring fans." Olga smiled with a dramatic tone of voice.<p>

"Going out like a winner! Just as you should!" Big Bob clapped.

"After that I was named Bennington Humanitarian of the Year for my extended work with the local orphanages by giving the little orphans lavish entertainment and finely-cooked meals." Olga continued.

"And of course you got all A's again!" Miriam slurred. "Oh Olga, I'm so proud of you dear! It's so good to have you home! "

"It sure is!" Bob lauded. "Especially with the delicious food you've just made. I can get used to this!"

Helga grumbled something into her food.

"So baby sister, how's your play coming along? I really can't wait to see it!" She gushed, causing Helga to grow tense.

"Just fine, _Olga_."

Neither Olga nor anyone else noticed the derision in Helga's voice.

"Oh I'm sure it'll be fantastic!" Olga looked up at the ceiling with a dramatic expression. "I remember the first time I was called in to provide the music for a school play. Oh it was so wonderful, it lit up the whole auditorium and made the drama so much more powerful!"

Bob and Miriam laughed as Olga continued her story while Helga just grumbled and put more food in her mouth. She hated to admit it, but her sister's cooking was good- much better than anything Miriam made.

"It's just too bad you can't be involved in the girl's play!" Bob said to Olga. "I'm sure it'd be ten times, no, a hundred times better!"

Helga, after a blank moment in thought, clenched her fist and gritted her teeth, thinking to ask to be excused, but Olga broke her out of her angry thoughts.

"Oh that reminds me, I need another ticket to Helga's play!" Her voice was getting more and more excited.

"What for honey?" Miriam asked.

"Because I met a wonderful man during my last year of college and he's coming into town! Oh I'm just so excited! I can't wait for you all to meet him at last!"

Helga swallowed hard. Her sister's voice became muffled. Great, just great, she thought with bitterness. Now in addition to Olga she'd have to deal with her newly-announced boyfriend. Remembering the episode with Doug LeSham, Helga knew that her sister's choice in men was not always good, and she dreaded the thought of having to rescue Olga once again just as she needed to spend the most time on her play. If not that...

"Who is this guy? What does he do?"

"Oh daddy...!" Olga gushed dreamily. "He's handsome and charming and he has his own business! He's so cool!"

"Well Olga honey..." Miriam slurred. "You're not...planning to get married are you...like you were with that other guy...?"

Olga laughed. "Oh no, that whole affair was silly of me and I recognize that now. Our relationship is evolving naturally. Now it's time for him to meet you all. I'm just so happy!" Tears of joy began to well up in her eyes, while Helga rolled her own. "And what better way than for an introduction than my baby sister's play?" Olga asked joyfully and hugged Helga.

Helga moped.

"Well I'm sure it'll all be exciting!" Miriam said slowly.

"Yeah, so when's he supposed to get here?" Bob asked.

"On the day of Helga's play!" Olga answered cheerfully. "Now he gets to see you all and my baby sister on the stage! Isn't it fantastic?!"

Helga banged her head into the table and didn't care to say another word. Nobody noticed.


	4. Session

"And just when it seems that I'm really getting appreciated and my play is starting to take off on its own, Olga has to come home. And no, she couldn't come home normally, she needed to get such good grades that her degree was completed a semester early." Helga growled. "Oh B, isn't Olga so brilliant?" She imitated her mothers slurred voice. "Oh yeah Miriam, she's a stinkin' genius! She's a Pataki, and Patakis are winners!" She deepened her voice to imitate her father, making an overly dramatic fist pump to add to the mockery. "Just...of all times why, why does it need to be now?" Helga moaned as she slumped back in her seat.

A woman was writing something down on a clipboard.

"Well Helga." She began after her patient finished. "From what you've told me your teachers and the other students all seem to like your play. You even told me Arnold liked it."

Helga broke out of her reactionary dream gaze whenever she heard his name and began to respond.

"Yeah, that's true, and...don't get me wrong I do appreciate it, but why of all times does Olga have to come back now? It's not like I don't have enough to deal with! Now I have to worry about her? Now she's going to my play and she'll be the center of attention as usual, while I who worked like a dog on that play will fade into non-existence. Oh, and to make matters even worse, Olga's bringing her boyfriend too, so all will be wondering who this mystery man is, and the plot I worked on will collapse like a house of cards!" Helga growled.

"Helga, from what you've told me about your sister, Olga does give you more attention than your parents do and genuinely does seem to care about you, even if it might not seem that way to you. I think it would be best if you just sat your sister down and made her listen to your concerns openly and honestly. Remember that she went to Alaska for you."

Helga remembered that episode last year. Olga actually listened to her. But then again, she also remembered the "Big Sis, Little Sis" program with Lila when Olga seemed to listen to her, only to make her row their boat afterwards.

"She also made me row her stinkin' boat!" Helga growled, relaying those feelings.

Dr. Bliss broke out a small smile at her patient.

"I know it's difficult Helga. But if the situation is as you present it, and you're as concerned about it as you are, you really have no choice but to try and talk to Olga. You need to tell her that it's your time in the spotlight, and how hard you worked for it. Tell her that you will really be hurt if she tries to upstage you. If she truly cares about, she _will_ listen."

"That's what Arnold said to me once." Helga said shyly, looking down as she twiddled her thumbs.

"He's a smart kid." Dr. Bliss smiled.

"Yeah..." Helga continued shyly.

An air of silence descended on the room. This incidence was not uncommon in their meetings.

"What about Olga's boyfriend?" Helga finally asked.

"What about him?" Dr. Bliss quizzed.

"Like I said, mom and dad are going to be wondering who the mystery man is. It might even be that they're going there tomorrow night to meet _him_ rather than see me. Not that I didn't expect that once I found out, or anything. But it still..."

"I understand, Helga. But your classmates certainly notice all the work you've put in, and your sister did come back specifically requesting to see you on stage. If you talk with your sister, she can probably tone down his entrance."

Helga stared out the window for a while.

"You know...I did hear Olga talking to him on the phone last night. She seemed so happy...and she told him about me and that she was excited for him to meet me."

Dr. Bliss smiled.

"See Helga? Maybe things will be better if you try to give them a chance. I know this is a big adjustment for you to make right now, but the alternative is to be hostile and unhappy, and I don't think either of us want that."

The session ended and Helga breathed a sigh as she walked out of the office. She would have some things to discuss with Olga before the big night.


	5. Spotlight Mine, Spotlight Yours

"Oh baby sister, isn't it so wonderful?" Olga asked dreamily as she met her sister in the upstairs hallway. Both were moving downstairs to the kitchen, where Olga had offered to cook a breakfast for Helga. "Tonight's the night of your play. I really can't wait to see it! And with Louis coming tonight! Oh..." Olga trailed, clasping her hands together. "It'll be positively...fantastic!"

Helga growled as she took a seat at the kitchen table.

"Helga, what do you want for breakfast?" Olga asked sweetly as she poured through the refrigerator. "I want to make my baby sister a special meal for her big day!"

Helga was taken aback by this display of generosity.

"Thanks Olga..." She said shyly. "Umm...an omelet and pancakes might be nice..."

"Coming right up baby sister!" Olga answered excitedly with her eyes closed in a smile.

Helga's thoughts began to swirl as her ears were flooded with the sounds of food cooking in a skillet. Miriam and certainly not Bob would never do this sort of thing for her. Perhaps she should try doing what Dr. Bliss recommended for her to do when she told her therapist that Olga was coming back. Perhaps she should try to be more tolerant and not dismiss Olga's advances _a priori_. Perhaps she should try and get around her bubbly exterior and attempt a deeper connection.

"Uh, Olga...about tonight..." Helga began nervously.

"What is it baby sister?" Olga asked as she continued her cooking.

"I...just...do you think you can tone it down a bit...?" Helga asked, completely unsure of how to ask her sister what she wanted to.

"Whatever do you want me to tone down baby sister?" Olga asked as she brought back plates of hot food.

"Well...it's just that when you're around everyone focuses on you and well it's just...it's my play you know?"

"Don't worry pumpkin." Olga said soothingly. "I assure you that I am simply going to admire the work you've put into your production. I will do nothing out of the ordinary. For me, it'll just be another date with Louis."

"I'm serious Olga." Helga said sternly. "I worked very hard on this. It needs to be my night OK?"

"Of course it will baby sister! I know just how important this is to you. I couldn't imagine trying to do anything that would make you upset."

Olga got up to hug Helga. Helga was not so sure.

"Now, I'll drive you to school this morning if you wish. I'll probably be there tonight a bit late, after mom and dad. Louis' flight doesn't arrive until 6:30, and I'm going to pick him up."

Helga reluctantly decided to accept her sister's invitation.

* * *

><p>"Wow Helga. You let your sister drive you to school? Maybe you're starting to get along with her after all." Arnold smiled.<p>

Helga's eyes brightened with their usual split-second swoon at a sight of Arnold, but her defense grid immediately perked up as she put on her scowl.

"What business is it of yours, football head?" She gritted.

"I don't know, it just seemed nice..." Arnold raised his hands in a way to show that he was not trying to be hostile. "Anyway, I have my costume here, so I guess we'll all meet up for one last rehearsal before the play starts, right?"

"Yes. Be there." Helga ordered as Arnold walked away defensively.

"Arnold. What a nosy punk. How I despise him."

She darted her eyes to and fro, then ducked into an alleyway.

"And yet...I adore him. Those eyes, so full of concern and sensitivity. The dedication you've shown to me...even though I've been nothing but a pestilence to you...at best, is oh, so intoxicating! Oh Arnold, how I wish you and I could run away together and forge a world of our own, free of all the madness we see in our lives!"

Helga looked around again and ducked into P.S. 118.

* * *

><p>"OK people." Helga addressed her cast backstage. "Remember that we are tasked with giving this play life. And you've all shown that you're capable of doing that. We've got to go the extra mile and take the road less traveled, and we will all put on a show to remember!"<p>

Helga's peers were not quite as enthusiastic, but went along with it. They did, after all, want to put on a good performance for their parents.

Helga left the backstage area to go into the auditorium and greet guests as well as the school staff. Principal Wartz was the first person to meet her.

"Miss Pataki." He acknowledged.

"Principal Wartz." She stated in much the same manner.

"Let me just say that I applaud you for putting together such a production that is at once both educational and entertaining to a wide audience. You do your school a service, young lady."

Helga smiled lightly.

"Helga?"

She turned at the sound of the familiar voice to see that Miss Slovak was talking to her.

"Miss Slovak?"

"Oh hi dear!" Her old teacher greeted. "I was just coming through and you really seemed to have done a wonderful job on this!"

"Thanks." Helga said in return.

"Helga, there you are!"

She turned to see Mr. Simmons approaching with the usual goofy smile on his face.

"Hey Mr. Simmons." Helga greeted in a rather blunt and typical tone with her teacher of last year.

"Helga, I just want to say that you've done an admirable job in putting this into production and it's very...special."

Helga was tempted to roll her eyes, but inside, she appreciated the compliment. She peered to see that her parents had arrived, her mother giving her a light wave with a smile while making small talk with Phoebe's mother Reba. Bob simply looked in her direction. He tapped his foot, like he was waiting for something.

"Oh hi there girls!" Mr. Simmons greeted as Phoebe, Rhonda, Nadine, and Sheena joined Helga.

"Hello Mr. Simmons!" Phoebe returned the greeting. "Miss Slovak!" Phoebe greeted, followed by the rest.

"It's lovely to see you all again." Their old teacher said as she exchanged some pleasantries.

"Everything's about ready Helga." Phoebe then whispered as she waved to her parents.

"Hey, look!" Rhonda whispered and pointed.

Big Bob's sudden snap to attention confirmed it in Helga's eyes. Olga had arrived.

"OLGA!" Miss Slovak greeted excitedly and rushed over.

The congregation around Helga quickly dispersed. Even Mr. Simmons had left to see his once-student teacher.

Bob and Miriam shifted their attention entirely to Olga. Olga greeted everyone warmly and began to entertain.

"Your sister has always been such a great dresser!" Rhonda gushed, observing the stylish purple winter dress she was wearing with a matching hat, and black stockings and boots. "Helga, remind me to get some fashion tips from her after the play!"

"Sure..." Helga began to growl.

"Isn't she the most gorgeous thing you've ever seen?" Rhonda continued. "I _must_ know how she does it."

As Helga grumbled, Olga looked toward the door and smiled very brightly. Helga's eyebrow raised at how happy she looked. It went far beyond her normal bubbly smile.

"Wow..." Sheena involuntarily gasped.

"Isn't he the biggest _hunk_ you've ever seen?!" Rhonda asked excitedly.

Helga began to tense up as she watched a man move forward. He was tall and _very_ handsome, with dark hair and light skin. He wore a custom-made suit to match. He looked like he didn't belong here- he instead seemed like he should be seated on a throne with a crown on his head. She noticed that even the normally-reserved Phoebe had to fight to stifle a blush.

"Who is that guy...?" Rhonda asked dreamily.

Helga only grew more tense. All eyes in the room fixated on him as he strode forward powerfully. Helga saw the man move forward, a slight, masculine, powerful smile etched on his face. He enfolded Olga in an embrace, giving her a light kiss. Miriam gushed over him instantly. She seemed elated along with Olga, while Bob exchanged a few pleasant words with him. He obviously seemed pleased. It looked to be a real party over there, which riveted the attention of everyone in the building. Then Helga and Olga's eyes met.

"HI BABY SISTER!" She shouted gleefully with a wave.

Helga grimaced and waved back with a scowl that Olga did not notice.

"C'mon Phoebe." She ordered with a growl.

"Coming!" Phoebe chimed.

Rhonda, Sheena, and Nadine merely lingered there for a while.


	6. Some Guy?

Helga growled. She couldn't stand the sight of them. Olga was doting all over him. She watched from behind the curtains. Olga was whispering something into his ear, laughing all the way. Her boyfriend- Louis was his name, Helga remembered, glanced at her with an amused glint and gave a curt smile. Olga responded with her annoying overly-feminine blinks. Criminy she hated that! Helga didn't want to go out on stage. But she had to, it was her play and she still wanted to put on an excellent performance.

And she was George Washington after all.

She moved onto the stage. Bob and Miriam hardly noticed, and only shifted their gaze after Olga responded by waving at her in such an annoying fashion as to make Helga want to throttle her. Her boyfriend, Louis, slowly turned his head to watch Helga. His gaze was far more powerful. While Olga's was annoying, Louis' was actually intimidating, not in a hostile way, but in a way that demanded excellence. But this only motivated Helga.

"The purpose for which we fought, and the purpose for which the Office of the President was created, was to uphold the republican form of government of which the Constitution of these United States was written. Though the delegates to the Convention designed the office with me in mind, each one of us has put his own personal stamp onto it. This is that story."

Helga noticed her entourage. Bob and Miriam seemed absent-minded as usual. While Olga only gushed and looked at Helga with an expression that seemed to speak '_aren't you the cutest thing?_', Louis raised an eyebrow, the glint in his eye still present. He looked content. Olga began to whisper in his ear again, and Miriam smiled widely at the couple. Everyone seemed to stare at them when they could- as if they were in a royal box. Louis again turned his attention to Helga, and she growled inside.

* * *

><p>Helga used the emotional energy she felt at being upstaged to make sure that she and her performers delivered a quality show. She demanded perfection, and through the use of her talents, she seemed to get it. By the time it was over, the audience gave her a standing ovation. Helga sighed in relief and elation.<p>

Bob and Miriam however, still doted on Olga, and seemed to be more interested in talking to her and Louis than they were in making their appreciation known. Miriam waved slightly to Helga but quickly shifted her attention. Bob might as well not have noticed except for a glance. Helga gritted but took it and got back up. She moved slowly into the area where a reception was being hosted.

Helga experienced a mix of emotions. She was happy that despite the personal setback, the play turned out as she'd hoped. She received a standing ovation. But the people she was supposed to be closest to, again, didn't care. It made her angry. She scowled. She bumped into someone as she emerged from the bathroom- anything to avoid being at that reception. True, she wanted to talk to her friends and to other people, but she didn't want to see Olga or the rest of her family.

"Uh...Helga?"

"Arnold?!" Helga asked dreamily as she finally realized who she'd bump into. "Uh...I mean, what do you want _football head_?!" She sneered.

"Are you avoiding going to the reception because you don't want to be with your sister?" He frowned somewhat.

"Well _doi_!" Helga angrily answered. "In case you haven't noticed, Arnoldo, whenever _Olga's_ around it's a total nightmare! I even told her this morning to let this be my night and she _still_ sucks up all the attention! Oh and that boyfriend of hers, the last thing I want to do is meet _him_."

"Why Helga? You don't even know him." Arnold stated somewhat coldly. "I talked with him for a bit and he seems like a really cool guy."

"Oh I'm sure. I'm sure he's perfect just like _Olga_ is." She sneered.

"C'mon Helga. Don't judge people when you don't even know them. I'll go in there with you. And for what it's worth, I thought the play turned out really great."

Helga's eyebrow raised and her eyes became wide. "Ohhhh..." She swooned.

Arnold looked at her oddly and she smacked her scowl back on her face.

"Alright, alright I'm coming! Sheesh _football head_!"

As Helga walked closer and closer, she began to reflect. Maybe Arnold was right. Maybe she should talk things out. Maybe she should give the guy a chance. If Arnold thought he was cool, there had to be something to him, right? The fact that he was satisfied with the play and felt good about it was more than enough to give her strength.

* * *

><p>Helga and Arnold emerged into the teacher's lounge, where the reception was being held. As soon as she entered she was accosted by a certain high-pitched, feminine voice.<p>

"Hello baby sister!"

"Ohhh..." Helga sighed, and then scowled at who she saw Olga talking to. "Lila!" Helga seethed.

Arnold went into a swoon when he saw her, which got Helga even more angry. Reluctantly, Helga walked over.

"Oh Hello Helga..." Miriam said absent-mindedly. "Hey, you did a good job out there, right B?" She asked to her husband.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Bob said. "So Olga, you were telling Lila about that project you did with..."

Helga seethed. Bob remembered _Lila's_ name. She spotted Phoebe in a corner talking to Gerald and giggling. She didn't want to interrupt them. She moped.

"Oh baby sister, what's the matter?" Olga said with a concerned look as she came over.

Helga looked up at Olga with a surprised expression.

"Nothing, everything's fine." She put on a false smile.

"Oh great!" Olga grinned. "I want you to know that you did a really fantastic job out there!"

Helga looked up at her with her arms crossed. She saw that Bob and Miriam were talking to Lila.

"Thanks." Helga said with no emotion. Olga didn't seem to notice.

"Now Helga, I want to introduce you to someone that's really special to me. C'mon!"

"Oh..." Helga groaned as Olga took her hand and they began to walk.

There he was, at the far end of the room. He was the center of attention, just as Olga was in her corner of the room. Helga could see that he was engaged in what looked to be an intense conversation with Rhonda's father, Buckley Lloyd. Helga could see that Rhonda was by her dad's side, staring up at him, gawking.

"I just don't see how it's going to make money in the long run." Helga heard him say. "I don't really understand why you'd want to buy that stock." Helga sighed inwardly. His voice was as powerful as his appearance.

"You have to think of it in the short versus the long term." Buckley advised in his haughty voice. "Here's what you do. Short a hundred shares of the stock and convert your holdings into British Pounds. Then buy the stock at the lower price after the Pound rises against the Dollar."

"Sounds legit." He smirked.

"It is. I've done that with a lot of different stocks when I saw that British Pounds looked good against the Dollar, then I started to go long on-"

"Oh, Louis, there you are!" Olga cut Buckley off. "I wanted to introduce you to my baby-"

"Olga, I'm talking." Louis lectured with a light smirk, not turning to look back at her.

"But Louis I wanted you to-"

"It's rude to interrupt people, Olga."

Hmph. Helga thought. That's certainly a lesson that Olga never seemed to learn.

"I can meet her later, Olga. She isn't going anywhere."

Helga frowned as he began to speak again with Buckley in earnest, talking in a language that might as well have been tongues to her. Olga was still annoyingly holding her hand. The stupid grin was not wiped off her face.

"Some guy." Helga spat. And then she sighed as she found that Olga was leading her back to Miriam, Bob, and _Lila_, who Arnold was desperately trying to make conversation with.

"HI OLGA!" Miss Slovak waved. Olga waved back. Helga only put a palm in her face.

* * *

><p>"That's great, so I guess we'll see you tomorrow then." Bob said to Louis, who held an arm around Olga's waist.<p>

"It was great to meet you!" Miriam gushed and shook his hand. She exchanged a girlish look with Olga and both giggled.

"Alright then where's the girl?" Bob asked, and noticed Helga standing a ways behind. "Oh there she is. C'mon little lady, it's time to go home!"

"Actually daddy, I was gonna ask Helga if she wanted to go with me and Louis." Olga interrupted. "Helga! Louis and I were going to go to Chez Paris!" She stated.

Helga looked up with a growl.

"You're welcome to come along if you like." Louis stated with a smile.

"Gee guys, that sounds great but...but..." Helga grinned sheepishly and noticed Phoebe leaving with her family. "I was...actually going to go do something with Phoebe!" She backed into her friend, who gave her a curious look. "Phoebe, I can come out with you tonight, right?" She asked with a hint of desperation.

"Uh, sure Helga...if that's what you want..." She looked up at her parents with a quizzed expression, but they quickly gave their consent.

Louis and Olga looked at each other with a quizzical expression. He shrugged.

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow baby sister!" Olga shouted with a happy squeal.

Bob and Miriam got in their car and drove off. Louis and Olga happily walked away, toward their soiree.

Well, Helga thought as she got into Phoebe's car, hearing the compliments of Kyo and Reba, at least there were some people she could have a decent time with.


	7. Instigation

"I'm tellin' ya Phoebs, it's the worst."

"But Helga, everything went very well last night." Phoebe weakly objected.

"Yeah, unless you need to share the spotlight with _Olga_ and her new man. Like I'd want to do that."

"Helga, if I may say, you seem unnecessarily hostile." Phoebe chimed, continuing despite Helga's glare. "I talked with Mr. Burbon for a bit and he seems like a fairly well-adjusted individual."

"Oh c'mon Phoebe. You're only saying that because of the Halo Effect- you find him attractive and that's why you think that way."

"No!" Phoebe objected. "Well...yes..." She admitted with a blush. "I do think he's attractive, but that doesn't take away from what I said, Helga."

"Yeah, like anyone who's dated _Olga_ for a year is well-adjusted. Puh-lease."

"I don't know why you seem so hostile Helga." Phoebe said again, ducking her head at Helga's glare. "The play went well, what are you so worried about?"

"Dealing with Olga, Pheobs, dealing with Olga. I got out of dinner last night but I won't tonight." She sighed.

"Well, I wish you luck Helga."

The two friends went their separate ways. Helga arrived at home. She heard something unusual.

"Louis, I'm serious! Put it down!" Olga demanded in a desperate voice, but Helga could tell she was smiling.

"It's true after all." He said playfully. "You looked like such a dork. Guess that explains why you still are."

"Louis give it to me!"

"No." He said behind a grin. "Wow, you looked like such a nerd."

Helga couldn't help but delay putting her coat away.

"And you were kind of frumpy-looking too." Louis' voice continued. "I've got a new nickname for you. I'm gonna start calling you unibrow now."

Helga widened her eyes and suddenly touched her eyebrow. She growled lowly.

"Oh like you're one to talk!" Olga responded. "Louis I'm serious! I hate that picture! I wish Daddy wouldn't keep that thing! It's embarrassing! Please put it down!"

Helga's eyes widened as she put her coat in the closet. Olga..._embarrassed_?

"Make me, unibrow."

"Louis please put it down! Can we just get back to the movie?!" She pleaded.

"But I thought you didn't like this movie so much. You only watch it with me because _I_ like it. That is what you said, is it not?" He questioned with an audible smirk.

"Please...?"

"Alright, alright." Louis relented. "You know I can't resist those beautiful blue eyes forever."

"Puh-lease." Helga grumbled as she heard Olga giggling. Voices began to emerge from the TV.

"_Need I remind you that it's an act of treason to withhold information from me relative to this matter regardless of how classified it is?_"

"_Same goes for you._"

"_Whatever the foreign ministry's wishes this falls within Section Nine's jurisdiction. Of course we have no objections to cooperating if we feel there's adequate cause._"

"Oh, there you are baby sister!" Olga greeted as she heard Helga's footsteps in the hallway. She jumped back. It was practically an assault, like usual. "How was the night with your little friend?" She gushed.

Helga grumbled and looked at the TV.

"You guys are watching _Ghost in the Shell_?" She asked, trying to ignore Olga's questions as much as possible.

"Well, it's not really my kind of movie, baby sister, but I watch it because it's one of Louis' favorites." Olga smiled with her usual happy-go-lucky face.

"You like _Ghost in the Shell_ huh?" Helga asked Louis. She knew this would be a perfect way to challenge and undermine him.

"I do." Louis smirked.

"Yeah, it's alright I guess, but there's way too many faux attempts at unnecessary philosophy. And what's Masamune Shirow's deal with nude women anyway? If you ask me it's something for perverts or pseudo-intellectuals."

Olga was surprised, and was about to lecture Helga on how she was not age-appropriate for this movie, but Louis sensed this and stopped her with a slight raise of his hand.

"That's quite perceptive for a ten-year-old." Louis said, impressed. Helga only scowled at him. "But, I think you miss the main point, Helga." He continued, not caring about the scowl. Helga was surprised at this. She could tell quite clearly that Louis, unlike Olga, sensed her hostility, and what's more, didn't care. "It's an incredibly realistic view of what society could quite easily become, and the focus on government corruption is something near and dear to my heart, given my own business and some...family situations of mine. You should try giving it another go."

"Who asked _you_ anyway?" Helga growled and went upstairs. Criminy, she didn't succeed. What a pompous fop. Why would she do anything he asked? After all, he didn't even make time for her last night, despite the fact that it was _her_ play.

Louis shrugged with a smirk. Helga went upstairs and closed the door to her room.

"You know Louis." Olga began as they continued to watch the movie. "You were incredibly rude to Helga last night."

"Hm?" Louis noised without looking at her.

"I told you I wanted you to meet my sister, but you brushed me and her off when I tried to introduce you to her. You were just talking about stocks and things like that."

Louis glanced to see a look of concern on Olga's face. He sighed.

"Yeah, you're right." He admitted. "I get carried away with that stuff sometimes. Guess it's no surprise she wouldn't have wanted to go out with us last night. I'll make it up to you guys."

"Tonight will be better, I know it!" Olga said excitedly.

* * *

><p>"Criminy!" Helga growled as she got to her room. "Why did I have to come home just to be shoved into the background <em>again<em>! It's bad enough that I have to deal with one perfect person in my life, now I have to deal with two! Why am I even here? Why even eat tonight?"

Helga went into her shrine and took out her pink book. She sighed in longing when she gazed upon the statue of Arnold.

"Oh Arnold." Helga bowed. "What a tormented life I lead. What a painful weight my young, frail body is forced to bear! How much endurance your football head and your rows of tall, golden locks give me! How I long to tell you. How I long to let you know how much you mean to me! How I long to say those magical words- 'I love you!' Oh Arnold, my love for you is stronger than any force on this Earth! And with that, I will get through this and any other hardship!"

Helga finished her writing when nature called. She sighed as she went toward the bathroom. Olga and Louis' voices reached her ears. Great. Just what she wanted to hear after a moment of creative inspiration.

"OK well Louis, I think I better get started on dinner before mommy and daddy get back home."

"Let's go out for a snack first." He responded.

"But Louis..." Olga trailed, clearly hesitant.

"They can wait a half hour longer."

Yeah right. Helga thought. Making Big Bob wait for his dinner could only invite trouble. Her eyes narrowed in delight. _Perfect_. Maybe Olga would get in some heat for once.

"Olga! Mom and dad said they'll be back a bit later anyway!" Helga called down innocently, instigating the situation. "Heh heh heh." She laughed sinisterly to herself.

"Let's just go." Louis beckoned. "Besides, I want to get out of this 'trophy room' with all due haste." He mocked. "Anything past a couple of hours and I wouldn't be able to stand it. This place gives me the creeps."

"Yeah." Olga admitted with a distant sigh. "Me too."

Helga's eyes widened again in surprise as she went into the bathroom. She heard the front door open and close.


	8. A Typical Pataki Dinner

"Well B...it isn't really the end of the world..." Miriam slurred.

"This is just so unlike Olga. I'm worried about her." Big Bob Pataki paced up and down. "Where could she possibly be?"

"Heh heh heh." Helga snickered, reading a book on the recliner and generally not taking up much space. "Gee dad, I recall Louis urging her to go out with him. Maybe she just decided to go do something with him and forget all about us, her poor, loving family." Helga said innocently.

"I don't like it Miriam." Bob frowned after he looked at his youngest daughter.

"Maybe she just...had to do something B, it's nothing to worry too much about..." Miriam again slurred.

Helga loved it. Big Bob's nervousness and Miriam's slurring due to her obvious helplessness to the situation. Served them right. Let them stand around wondering what was going on with their perfect little _Olga_.

"Maybe I should get started on the food..." Miriam trailed.

"Why would I want you to do that Miriam?! You always overcook everything!" Bob growled.

"But I was..." Miriam responded weakly.

"Aw gee, I'm gonna be starving all night!" Bob wailed. "This is horrible!"

Oh this was so worth it. Helga didn't mind if she needed to eat cereal again. She lapped it up for another ten minutes before the front door audibly swung open. The laughing voices of Olga and Louis followed.

"Louis you can be such a jerk sometimes!"

"Those old farts had it coming though, you have to agree with me on that." His voice snickered.

Bob suddenly raised his eyebrow in surprise, but then narrowed it. He looked mad. Miriam as usual, looked like she wasn't there. Bob strode toward the foyer. Helga sprang up in delight and ran to see what would happen.

"Trying to pull a fast one on us like that. Ten dollars for a couple of little trinkets like those? Just what exactly are they trying to sell by those docks? The nerve of these..."

"Oh no, don't you start imitating George Carlin, not with Helga nearby."

"Helga's got more smarts than you're giving her credit for." Louis responded as he began to put their coats away.

Olga was about to reply when the sound of her father's loud footsteps interrupted her.

"Oh hi Daddy!" Olga gushed.

"Olga, where've you been? Your mother and I were starting to worry. You never miss up on an opportunity to cook us a fine meal!"

Louis raised a curious eyebrow at Bob. He slightly turned his head to see Miriam furiously slurping at her smoothie, but he quickly smiled when Olga began to speak.

"Oh daddy! I know this may sound a bit silly of me, but I forgot one of the ingredients that I needed, so Louis and I went out to the store to get it!"

"Eh? That isn't like you, Olga."

"I know daddy, but with all the excitement of the last few days I guess it just slipped my mind! I'll get started right away, and you're all gonna love it! Tonight we're having a full-course Turkish cuisine with scrumptious toppings and fudge tarts for desert!"

"That sounds great Olga!" Bob laughed. "C'mon let's go inside and get you started!"

Helga noticed that Louis looked on guardedly as Olga, Bob, and Miriam walked away. The two stared at each other for a moment before he followed them.

"Criminy!" Helga growled. "Why can't they ever get mad at her!" She crossed her arms and followed inside, her scheme foiled. "Wait a minute." Helga said to herself before following the others. "Where did that story about the grocery store come from?"

* * *

><p>"So uh, Louis, you said you're familiar with Hillwood?" Bob asked.<p>

"Yeah, my aunt lives here, so I've always dropped by every now and then. I know this city well enough, and I've actually begun to expand my business here too, so coming here was basically a hop over the bridge for me."

"What sort of business you in? Are you an appliance salesman like me?" Bob grinned.

"No, nothing like that." Louis lightly smiled. "I own a small PR consulting firm."

"PR? What's PR?" Bob asked in his usual blunt voice.

"Puh-leese." Helga muttered and lowered her eyebrow. To her surprise, she also saw that Louis stared at him an incredulous expression, though it was masked. She was the only one that seemed to notice.

"It's public relations, daddy!" Olga answered happily. "It means that Louis is in the business of helping other businesses! He puts together campaigns to get them good publicity and increase sales!"

"Oh I see." Bob answered.

"You know that sort of reminds me. Olga told me about Big Bob's Beepers, but it appears your emporium doesn't have a website. You really should get on that, or you're gonna miss the boat."

"Hmm..." Bob stroked his chin. "Never really needed one."

"The web's going to explode, maybe even over the next few months, let alone years. I did some data mining on the businesses in your field and the ones with websites are already outselling the ones without them, Mister Pataki."

Olga gushed up at Louis as Bob started to think. Helga muttered and stuffed her food in her mouth quickly. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. Yet again, her evil scheme hadn't worked!

"Yeah, I see, I see..." Bob continued to think.

"So Louis, you were telling me that you were from Maine?" Miriam finally spoke. Helga thought she'd taken another one of her impromptu naps.

"That's right, Misses Pataki." He answered. "Our family has a very old home with twenty acres just outside..."

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Bob cut him off. "Miriam, who said you could butt in?! We were talking about my beeper empire! This is important stuff we're discussing! You can't just _interrupt_ us!"

Miriam grabbed her glass and began to drink, while Olga happily served her father another helping of food. Helga crossed her arms, but again raised her eyebrow when she (and only she, again) noticed Louis looking at Bob with a masked expression that Helga was unaccustomed to.

Was that...disgust?

"So uh, Louis, what were you saying before? That thing about the websites?" Bob asked with a grin. "Oh, and do you want some more of these little bread things? What were they Olga?"

"Manti, daddy!" She gushed.

"Sure." Louis answered as Bob passed him some more.

"I'd like some more too." Helga asked.

"So anyway Louis, let's talk a little bit more about this website stuff!" Bob continued, ignoring Helga.

Helga growled.

"Well, my team and I can get it all set up for you, and I'll give you a discount because you're my dear Olga's father." He grinned, which caused Olga to blush and giggle.

Bob and Louis continued to talk. Helga moved her hand forward briskly to grab more of the food she wanted, trying to draw attention, but it didn't work. Her scheme hadn't worked. Teflon Olga won again. A typical Pataki dinner, she thought. Bob talked about his beepers, Miriam was half-awake, and Olga simply gushed about everything.

"Can I be excused mom?" Helga asked when she finished her plate. She was not quite full.

Miriam slowly looked up at her. "Yeah, sure, whatever." She acquiesced.

Helga got up and went back into the foyer, toward the staircase.

"I'll see you later baby sister!" Olga called. "And maybe I'll tuck you in too!"

Helga gritted her teeth and began to walk upstairs. Bob continued to talk excitedly with Louis who answered him more calmly. The former's voice did not drown out until Helga closed the door to her room.

* * *

><p><strong>Wow, it feels weird writing about how big the web was going to be. That's the 90's for you.<strong>


	9. The Key?

**Shoutout to SlideshowJazz1 for the constant stream of reviews.**

* * *

><p>She heard the doorbell ring. Helga growled and put her cereal down. Who was coming over this early? She paused the tape and moved slowly toward the foyer.<p>

"Yeah! Yeah! I'm coming!" Helga called out.

She opened the door to stare into Louis' green eyes.

"Hey Helga." He greeted, letting himself in.

"What are _you_ doing here so early?" She questioned with folded arms.

"Taking your sister out for breakfast." He answered. "You feel like coming along?"

"No, not really." Helga said with a mockery that would have escaped the Patakis, but not Louis. For a moment, the two stared at each other in an almost tug-of-war fashion.

"Helga are you alright?" Louis finally asked. "Is something bothering you?"

Helga simply continued to stare at him with a frown before a certain bubbly voice interrupted and totally changed the atmosphere.

"Hi Louis!" Olga gushed as she came down the stairs.

Helga only tightened her arms over her chest as she heard the overly-loud smooch that Olga gave to him. How come she was even annoying in the _sounds_ she made when she kissed someone?!

"And good morning to you baby sister!" Olga greeted when she was done. "Did you sleep well last night?!"

"Oh, I slept wonderfully well!" Helga answered in a light tone whose sarcasm was unmistakable, unless your name was Olga Pataki.

"Oh great!" Olga answered. "That certainly seems true since you're up so early and you're on vacation and..."

"Olga, get your coat." Louis cut her off with a firm expression.

She looked up at him questioningly but quickly smiled. "You must really be hungry!"

"Yeah." He simply answered, and then smirked as he watched her move toward the nearby closet.

Helga took the opportunity to leave after exchanging one last glance with Louis. He noticed that Helga was watching Wrestle-Mania on TV, presumably taped from last night's broadcast.

The sound of loud footsteps coming from the stairs got his attention.

"Hey Loumeister!" Robert "Big Bob" Pataki greeted, to Louis' comically raised eyebrow which he did not notice. Miriam followed her husband downstairs, still dressed in her nightclothes, looking like she was not yet awake. "Everything good for tomorrow?"

"I called my photographer and my lighting artist. They're flying out today, and I've already got all the video equipment handled. Everything's set for tomorrow afternoon."

"Great. Great." He answered. "Time to bring Big Bob's Beepers to the world wide web with some amazing content!" He said enthusiastically. Miriam walked past him to the kitchen, looking like she could care less. "We can go out to eat after that!"

"Sounds fine enough." Louis answered.

"Helga, do you want to come out with us for breakfast?!" Olga asked enthusiastically as she put her coat on.

Helga only grumbled.

"What's that baby sister?!" Olga's tone did not change.

"Yeah, you should go out with your sister, Olga." Bob seconded. "Maybe you could learn a few things." He laughed and went straight to the kitchen. Helga visibly scowled at him.

"Olga, let's just go." Louis beckoned firmly.

She again gazed up at him questioningly, but agreed as he led her outside and closed the door. Helga sighed in relief and went to finish the rest of her program. She would need to get ready for her second appointment with Dr. Bliss for the week.

* * *

><p>"So things aren't going well?" Dr. Bliss asked.<p>

"Nope." Helga replied.

"But your play did get a standing ovation. Is your home situation bothering you? I'm guessing your talk with your sister didn't work?"

"Of course not!" Helga growled and punched the large bowling pin-like-object in the room. "I tried telling her to not soak up my spotlight and she says she agrees, but then does it anyway! And it was much the same at dinner last night! I might as well not even exist!"

"Can you tell me exactly what you said to Olga?"

"I asked her if she could tone it down a bit because everyone focuses on her when she's around. And guess what? They did. She didn't even try!"

"And...her boyfriend, is he same way...? Is he adding to the problem?"

"Louis? I don't know..." Helga trailed.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"Well, Louis _does_ seem perfect, just like Olga. He's very good-looking, very intelligent, and he's only twenty-five and already owns a seemingly successful business. But it's just..."

"It's just...?"

"Louis doesn't look like he has his head in the clouds. Just this morning when I was trying to watch TV, Olga was trying to goad me into going out to eat with them, being her usual self. Louis on the other hand could clearly tell that I was annoyed and stopped her...in an indirect way."

Dr. Bliss widened her eyes and began to write something down.

"And he stopped Olga before dinner yesterday too. I think she was gonna try to lecture me about how I was too young to watch _Ghost in the Shell_ which is one of his favorite movies, but he didn't let her."

"Well Helga, this is big." Dr. Bliss said with a smile on her face. "I want you to do two things. Firstly you need to talk to Olga in a more direct fashion and tell her your real feelings. I think she does care about you, Helga, so she will listen." Dr. Bliss continued after the audible 'hmph' from Helga. "Secondly, I think you should talk with Louis. He might be the key to smoothing out the differences between you and your sister."

"But wait, what makes you think he'll have any interest in doing that, if it can even be done? Last night he looked more interested in talking with _Big Bob_ about a business deal than caring about other problems, pretty much exactly like _Olga_. And when Olga tried to introduce me to him after the play, he brushed me off because he needed to talk about stocks."

"Well Helga, I don't know. I haven't met him. I just think it's your best shot. And you need it. If Olga's going to be home, then you need to resolve these issues, given how much they bother you and are harming your self-esteem. You don't want to carry that burden around with you."

"Oh..." Helga moped.

"Helga, trust me, you can do it. I suggest you get them both together and then tell Olga what's on your mind. Maybe he can mediate between the two of you. Olga does care about you Helga, and if she's been with Louis for a year she cares about him too. You just need to show her how you really feel, and maybe he can help her realize her mistakes, given your description of him."

Helga walked out of her therapist's office and back toward home when the session ended, unsure of how to handle this, but with knowledge of what needed to be done.

"Oh Arnold..." Helga trailed as she looked down at his face in her locket. "How will I get through this one?"


	10. Face it Olga, You're Bad Sister

Helga slowly walked home and approached her building with caution. Only reluctantly did she open the door. Olga was playing the piano. Much to Helga's surprise, she heard that Olga was missing notes...and laughing about it.

"C'mon you're doing a good job!" Louis' voice laughed.

"You can at least take the blindfold off." Olga responded. "I don't know this song too well."

"You haven't earned it yet." Louis teased.

"When will I...?" Olga asked wistfully.

"When you..."

"Hey!" Olga playfully objected, and the next thing Helga heard was the sound of two people kissing and sucking on each other. She growled and smacked her palm to her face. As Olga continued to brokenly play the piano amidst her and Louis' shared laughter, Helga's brain began to spin. She hadn't heard either Bob or Miriam. The words of Dr. Bliss began to repeat in her head as she hesitated in the foyer.

Should she or shouldn't she? This was not something she was particularly looking forward to. She didn't even know what she wanted to say, if she even decided to say anything at all. Was it worth it? They seemed happy...maybe that mood would transfer over? But then again...

"Well Olga, I've gotta run."

"Louis, are you sure you can't stay for dinner?"

"Nah, I need to make some arrangements for tomorrow."

"Oh...OK." Olga answered.

Helga scowled again as Louis emerged into the foyer, followed by Olga.

"Bonsoir baby sister!" Olga greeted. "Did you have a fun time outside?"

Helga only crossed her arms and peered up at her quizzically.

"I'll see you guys later." Louis said after he put on his coat. He gave Olga a light kiss goodbye and smiled down at Helga, who narrowed her eyes in response.

Helga walked upstairs without saying anything more.

* * *

><p>Helga kept quiet throughout dinner and most of the rest of the night. She took to her room quite early and went to sleep. The next morning, after a brief breakfast in which Olga constantly tried to make conversation with her which she avoided as much as possible (lest she be stuck with her while Louis and Bob were gone), Helga returned to her room and took out her pink book. Her thoughts were whizzing. Dr. Bliss had really upset her equilibrium. While her head knew that she should follow her therapist's advice, Helga's emotions told her to do nothing. Her shrine to Arnold was the go-to response when in doubt.<p>

"Oh Arnold,

Why must I keep all my feelings bottled inside?

Why must the love I have for you hide?

I want to open the dam, to confess!

But my darling, the world wants to keep my feelings repressed!

Help me Arnold, hold me in your arms!

How I wish I had such strength, through which my body may convulse,

You and I together would give _Olga_ a firm repulse!"

"Wow, that's good!" Helga said excitedly and was about to write some more when an intrusive series of knocks rattled her door.

"Baby sister are you in there?!" An overly-excited voice asked.

"Yes, _Olga_." Helga answered, annoyed.

Olga took this as an invitation to step inside. Helga growled and threw her book under the bed. She scowled.

"Oh Helga, there you are! You've been so quiet since you came home last night. Is everything OK?"

"Everything's fine, _Olga_."

"Oh goodie, because I've got a special surprise for you!"

Helga crossed her arms and looked up at Olga indifferently.

"Well, I thought that we'd spend the day together, just the two of us! Isn't it fantastic?!"

"Huh?" Helga asked incredulously.

"Oh isn't it so exciting?!" Olga squeaked excitedly and ran over to hug Helga.

"Oh..." Helga groaned, but Olga did not hear her.

"I thought that we'd first take a little ride around the park and then we'd go and get something to eat, and for tonight..." Olga trailed off with a smile while Helga looked up at her in distress. "I got us two tickets to the opera, and they're good seats too!"

Helga's jaw dropped.

"Oh isn't it just wonderful?" Olga sighed dreamily. "Now that I'm home we can finally bond with each other at last! Isn't it exciting?! I've been wanting to spend some time with you and today is just perfect!"

Helga was at a loss as to how to respond. As she began to ponder the situation more, Dr. Bliss' words came into her mind.

"_You need to talk to Olga in a more direct fashion and tell her your real feelings._"

Looks like it was now finally time to take Dr. Bliss' advice. Olga had forced it on her. She did not want to do anything with Olga, especially not see an opera. Olga was stressing her out a lot. It was time to face the music.

"No Olga, it's not." Helga responded.

"It's not?" Olga asked in surprise.

"Olga, might you for once consider my feelings? I **hate** the opera!" Helga yelled. That came out more angrily than she thought it was going to.

"But..." Olga trailed weakly.

Helga raised a finger to cut her off.

"It's the same thing with you every time you're here Olga! You suck up all the attention, and then you try to bond with me. You think everything's 'fantastic' but you _never_ listen! You're just in your own little world! You're _never_ concerned, really concerned, for me or what I think! Even the other day, when I tried to tell you my concerns about the school play, you ignored them! Do you know that when you came, and Louis entered in grand style, everyone's thoughts were riveted on you, when I put in all the work on that thing?"

"But Helga..." Olga tried to object. Tears were welling up in her eyes.

Helga again raised a finger. She was being honest. Just like Dr. Bliss told her to be.

"And even more than all of that, Olga, you're way too smart to not notice that there's a lot of problems in this house..."

Olga's lips began to quiver and she began to shrink back.

"And they effect me a lot, and apparently you too, but you never acknowledge or want to address them. You just keep pretending everything's perfect. **It's not!**" Helga screamed. "But you just prance around the house all day, and just _pretend_ to think that nothing's wrong. You only add to my stress. Face it Olga, you're bad sister."

The dam broke and Olga began to cry and wail, in a distress that even Helga had never seen her in. She collapsed to the floor for a while, bawling her eyes out while Helga frowned and put her fists on her waist. Olga slowly and painfully got to her feet. It seemed like she had a ton weighing her down. She peered at Helga's expressionless face through a veil of tears and bolted out of the room and ran into her own, slamming her door shut behind her.

Helga indifferently watched her go. She would not emerge from her room for the rest of the day.


	11. Wrong Tactics

"Olga honey, are you sure you don't want to come down for breakfast?" Miriam asked.

"I've already eaten, mommy, hours ago." Olga's soft voice emerged from her room, behind the closed door. "I'm sorry I'm not cooking anything this morning. Something came up."

"Olga are you alright dear?"

"Yes mommy." Olga answered blankly. "I've just been looking for a job and I'm pretty tired."

"Oh...OK dear." Miriam answered somewhat absent-mindedly and left the premises.

Helga looked on from her room and smiled gleefully. How long would Olga stay bed-ridden this time? Oh, Helga relished this. Hopefully now she would learn and just go away, but she wouldn't hold her breath.

"C'mon Olga, you gotta come out of there sometime!" Bob goaded. "Why don't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's nothing daddy." Olga answered weakly.

Bog sighed. Helga laughed in the background.

"Something funny little lady?"

"Nope." Helga smiled.

"Olga, what's there to be upset about? It's not like that time you thought you got a B+. You're sitting pretty, and that boyfriend of yours is amazing! A true wizard that guy is! Almost kicked as much butt at the beeper emporium yesterday as I did! So I want you to get out of bed and report for breakfast!"

"I just want some alone time, daddy."

"Alright Olga...I've gotta go anyway, but when I get back, I want to see a new attitude!"

Bob left the still smirking Helga and went downstairs, leaving a few minutes later.

* * *

><p>"Hey Loumeister!" Bob greeted as he got out of his car. "What brings you back? Everything got set up yesterday, and I already paid you!" He talked excitedly.<p>

"I just wanted to go over a few more things with you and get you more familiarized with your website and how to sell your merchandise online and the like."

"Aw, gee. Thanks for that."

Louis smirked as Bob unlocked the doors.

"Hey uh...did Olga say anything to you yesterday?" Bob asked.

"No. I didn't talk to her yesterday, why?" He responded curiously.

"Eh...she's just been held up in her room the past day or so. She says everything's fine though. Maybe she's just taking a break from all the craziness. Or maybe it's just that time of the month, huh? Huh?" He joked and elbowed Louis in the stomach.

Louis' face hardened.

"I mean, what could possibly be wrong with her? She's got great grades, awards, she'll get a nice job soon enough, and she's got you. There's nothing for her to remotely be upset about! She's my little girl, always a winner!"

He looked at Bob distantly as they walked into the store.

* * *

><p>Helga was eating a sandwich she made for lunch when she heard the doorbell ring. Helga had a feeling who it was, and she began to move to answer him. Miriam had gone out to the grocery store.<p>

Helga went into the foyer and opened the door.

"Oh, hi there Helga." Louis greeted. "Olga's supposed to be home, so I dropped by."

"She's upstairs." Helga gritted in answering him. As usual, he looked great.

"Thanks." He answered and stepped inside, hanging up his coat. "You know Helga..." He turned back toward her. "You look like something's bothering you. Care to let it out?"

"I..." Helga gasped, taken aback. "I..."

Louis stared at her with slightly widened eyes.

"I...mean it's none of your business! Don't you respect anyone's privacy?!" She seethed.

Louis smiled lightly with a chuckle. "Suit yourself." He shrugged his shoulders and began to walk up the stairs.

Helga folded her arms and grunted. "Yeah, whatever your highness." Helga mocked, not bothering to look up at him.

Louis chuckled again and headed to the second story. It was then that a tinge of curiosity overtook Helga. When around Louis, Olga seemed somewhat different. When Helga saw her sister with him there appeared to be a genuine happiness that she had never seen before emanate from her. She seemed so...so..._normal_. With a sigh, Helga headed silently up the stairs. What if Olga mentioned yesterday's incident to Louis? Would she be different? It was too much to take without knowing. She silently but swiftly crept toward Olga's room.

Louis knocked on the door.

"Olga, it's me." He declared.

Olga immediately opened the door. Helga could see that she was smiling brightly. So that was it then? As soon as Louis showed up everything was better, and Olga would be back to her bubbly self?

Louis smiled and closed the portal behind him. He turned around to see his girlfriend still smiling widely at him, but he immediately put on a serious face when he got a good look at her. The covered-up smattering of runny mascara did not escape his eyes, and he noticed that her smile was not entirely genuine. "Olga, you've been crying." He said with concern.

"I don't know what you mean Louis." She acted, coming over to give him a hug and kiss. He saw right through it.

"Spit it out." Louis demanded as he lightly pushed Olga away.

Olga gasped as she tried to control herself. There was no use fighting him and she knew it.

Helga was laughing to herself as she listened outside the room. Making Olga feel bad sure made her feel good. It was what it was.

"Am I such a monster that my own sister hates my guts?" She squeaked.

"Helga, hate you? No." Louis said in a tone of light disbelief.

"Do you remember how I told you that my relationship with my sister was one of my biggest regrets, and that I wanted to get closer to her?"

Louis slowly nodded.

"Well I tried to talk to her yesterday. I tried to be friendly. I spoke with as much love as I could muster."

Helga gagged. That was what she called 'love?'

"I got us two tickets to the opera and told her how much fun we would have together. But she only pushed me away and said that...that...I was a bad sister."

Louis smirked lightly as Olga continued her diatribe. He looked amused, like he was trying to stifle a laugh.

"It seems that no matter what I do, no matter how kind I am to her, she still hates me. Maybe I just need to accept that she's always going to hate me..." The waterworks began to turn on again and she looked out the window. "She's so rude and obnoxious sometimes..."

Helga was enraged and almost felt like bursting through the door. She was very close to doing so when she heard Louis speak in a strong and stern voice.

"Wrong tactics."

"Huh?" Olga turned toward her boyfriend incredulously, mascara running down her eyes.

"A grown adult trying to dictate to a child is supposed to bring the two closer?" Louis asked somewhat sarcastically.

Olga's face squinched and more tears began to flow. She threw a book down onto the floor. "DAMMIT Louis, are you taking her side against me?!" She asked in a very teary anger.

Helga was very surprised now, shocked even. She had NEVER heard Olga speak in an angry voice or cuss. Even when she had changed her grades last year and admitted it, Olga was not angry at her. That had been almost infuriating just by itself. She continued to listen.

"I'm not taking anyone's side here." Louis chuckled. "But Olga, your sister is still but a child...without your accomplishments, and you know? I think she's unhappy. She lives in the darkness of your shadow, all day, everyday."

"Our parents don't even know she exists!" Olga cried. "She knows it and they know she knows it!"

"And they don't give a damn." Louis responded with a lecturing tone. "Poor Helga."

Helga felt like she was hit by a ton of bricks. He said it bluntly. He knew. The protective walls around which she housed her soul crumbled, just like that. Hearing her hidden thoughts straight from the mouth of someone else was very surreal. She felt like brooding in her room, but continued to listen to the conversation.

"POOR HELGA?!" Olga answered angrily. "What about me, wind-up doll that I am?!" She began to wail again. "You know what I have to go through all the time! And then when I try to show Helga a little kindness...she abuses me! Am I not to be pitied?!" She put her face in her hands and began to sob.

"WHY SHOULD YOU BE?!" Louis answered with a calm, cool fire in his voice. "It's certainly no wonderful situation, in fact I abhor it, but at the very least you can get away from it most of the time. Think about your sister. She's virtually a prisoner - sentenced to a life of nonrecognition by those who she's supposed to be closest to! It's quite easy to see within five minutes of being in this house. Furthermore, she doesn't have the luxury of escape like you do. In fact, she probably resents you all the more because you can break free and she cannot."

Helga was crying now. She situated herself in a fetal position outside her sister's door, leaning against the wall. She refused to let herself totally break down. Not yet.

Olga was diffused by this and stared at Louis wide-eyed. Tears were still flowing. He smiled softly at her.

"You know Olga, your biggest weakness is that you don't see yourself the way that others see you. I don't fault you for it - most people lack the ability. But try to see yourself the way Helga must see you. Here you are, showered with adoration while she gets nothing, and now YOU want to be HER friend. But to be her friend, you should instead let her come to you. Do what she wants to do. You need to be there for her. She doesn't need to be there for you."

"But what if she just continues hating me forever?" Olga squeaked out.

"Don't worry about it too much. Kids grow up, they change. Just go about it the right way and you'll be fine."

Tears were still streaming down Olga's face. Her lips were trembling as she looked at him.

"Come. Come here. Come here." Louis beckoned with a kind voice.

Olga moved into his outstretched arms and embraced him. He kissed the top of her head and rubbed her back.

"It's alright." He reassured. "You made a mistake. We all do. Make it up to Helga. You're smart enough to do that. At least...I think you are." He teased.

"Louis, you really are wonderful." Olga laughed weakly.

"I know." Louis grinned, causing her to laugh harder.

Helga tip-toed away and went into her room, slowly shutting the door behind her. It was she that now began to sob.


	12. Vulnerability, Part 1

Helga spent a large portion of that afternoon wandering around the park, trying to collect her thoughts. Her mind had certainly been jolted. She thought about what Dr. Bliss had told her, and she thought about Arnold. Helga now knew beyond any doubt that Louis understood her problems, and that Olga would listen to him. And hey, if Arnold gave him his stamp of approval, then that said something didn't it? Still, what did she even want to say? What did she even want to begin with?

These thoughts began to run away with Helga as she walked, and she did not even notice that she'd made it back home. Sighing, she slowly opened the door and stepped into the foyer. A few steps later and there she saw him sitting on the couch. The two shared a tense stare.

"Hey." Louis finally greeted somewhat somberly.

"...Hey." Helga greeted back monotonically. "So...where's Olga?"

"Still in her room. She has some thinking to do." He answered. "By the way I...heard your footsteps outside her room. You were listening to our conversation."

Helga appeared shocked. "Does she know I was out there?" She asked frantically.

"No." Louis answered.

"You're not gonna tell her are you?!"

"Not if you don't want me to."

Helga breathed a sigh of relief.

"Hey, why don't we go take a walk and talk?" Louis asked.

"Why?" Helga asked defensively.

"Because Olga's important to me and I don't want to see her like this. I think maybe I can help, and help you too."

Helga began to grumble with her arms folded.

"C'mon, I'll buy you something to eat."

Helga sighed, but reluctantly decided to go along.

* * *

><p>"OK...how did you know?" Helga asked the obvious. They wandered back to where Helga began - the park, after getting a couple of slices of pizza to go.<p>

"Based on some of the things Olga's told me, and my own observations. You'd need to be an idiot or otherwise impaired to miss it. I'm sorry, Helga, that you need to live with that every day."

A whirlwind of emotions raced through Helga. She only looked up at him somberly, without much to say. Finally, thinking to say _something_, she opened her mouth and these words came out: "How come you can see it, and _Olga_ can't?"

"I won't and can't answer for her. I'll leave that between the two of you. Although I will say that Olga can be a bit myopic at times."

"Hmph. Try all the time." Helga growled and finished off her slice of pizza as the two approached the bridge over the park's lake. "You know Louis, I didn't want to say this, but Phoebe was right."

Louis looked at her quizzically.

"You really _do_ seem like a well-adjusted individual. So that only makes me wonder. Why? Why are you with Olga? How can you not notice what I do? She's overbearing and annoying as the day is long!"

Louis chuckled slightly.

"I mean why would somebody like you have any interest in such a bubbly airhead?!"

Louis continued to chuckle. "Helga, this may or may not come as a shock to you, but I've been out with a lot of girls."

Helga frowned.

"Your sister is the only one I've ever truly liked."

"But why?!"

"Well, that thing you said about me being a well-adjusted individual? It wasn't always so. You probably think that I'm naturally this way, that I was always like this. That's nothing like the truth at all. Up until the time I was eighteen? I was a wimpy little nerd that totally lacked self-confidence."

Helga's eyes widened at this.

"If you care to see my meaning, take a look at this. I keep this picture so that I can compare myself to the person I once was and recognize how far I've come."

Louis took out a small picture from his wallet. To Helga's shock, he looked like a sloppy, scrawny, awkward nerd. She had to blink twice, looking up from the picture to Louis, and repeating the process several times. He looked like a totally different person!

"That was you?!" Helga asked, still finding it hard to believe.

"Yep."

"But that's...that's incredible!"

"It is. It was when I entered college that my older brother really took me under his wing. It was my brother that turned me into the man I am today - physically and mentally. You think I'm impressive? Well, my brother's a hundred times the man I'll ever be."

The matter-of-factness and confidence in his tone was all Helga needed to know to realize that this brother of his must really be something to see. But how...?

"How does this concern Olga, you're thinking?" Louis smirked.

Helga nodded.

"Well you see Helga, my brother Henry's a Navy SEAL."

Helga's face lit up at this.

"Which indeed, SOUNDS cool." He glanced down at her. "And it is. Don't get me wrong. I'm extremely proud of my brother. It only makes perfect sense that he's one of our country's very best men. But, there's a dark side to this too..."

Louis looked down into the waters of the lake, his expression saddened, which again Helga was surprised at.

"You see, I have to worry about him all the time. And trust me it isn't easy." He turned to Helga. "My brother is extremely important to me. The bond we have is something that even Olga can't approach. My brother is my idol and hero. He taught me how to be a man. Our father died when we were very young you see, and my brother was the guidance I needed. He took my potential and brought it out of me. The fact that he figured it all out perfectly on his own just shows how great he really is..."

Helga looked on at him surprisingly sympathetically.

"If anything were to happen to him the loss would be more than I can bear. The fact that he's in special forces and I need to be kept in the dark about most of his missions doesn't make the situation any better. It's a lot of weight to carry, Helga."

"So...where does Olga come into all of this...?" Helga squeaked. She didn't quite know how to handle this.

"Well, one night I received news that my brother's SEAL Team was going to be deployed to a high-risk area. I didn't really know where it was, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was Bosnia or some other place. Anyway, naturally, this is the type of news where I get the most anxious. I generally just retreat and am beside myself with apprehension. But that night was different you see..."

Helga was quite anxious to hear him finish his story.

"Olga came over. And do you know what she said to me?"

Helga shook her head, her eyes wide as saucers.

"She told me that she was really glad I was in her life, and then with the sweetest, most genuinely kind-hearted voice and smile you could possibly imagine, she told me that whatever happened from that point forward, she'd be right there with me."

Helga raised her eyebrow at this. Louis smiled down at her.

"And that's something I'll never forget for as long as I live." He said with a serious expression, looking back at the lake. "Don't sell your sister short, Helga. Yes, there are at times when she does...lack social intelligence, but we all have our faults, and it's one I've forgiven her for. Your sister's a beautiful girl, but I've been with a lot of beautiful girls. She's smart and talented, but I've been with a lot of smart and talented girls too. What really drew me to Olga was the kindness and the warmth in her heart that's entirely genuine. The affection she shows is something to be treasured. You won't find that in very many places, Helga. It brightens my whole day just by being around it. Sure, maybe your sister made some mistakes and maybe she couldn't quite utilize her intentions properly, but all the same, you should give her another chance, and be open on your own end too."

Helga looked downward at the ground.

"Oh and well, Olga can cook up some mean food. It's hard to not be enamored by that." Louis grinned.

Helga sheepishly smiled.

"The point is Helga, that we all have our own problems, but with the proper mindset and support, and the willingness to put in the work, we can overcome most of them. I overcame my own unhappiness and so will you - if you want to. Olga is very concerned about you, Helga. She's told me many times that she loves you dearly. Want to hear something else?"

Helga only nodded.

"That night I told you about, where Olga came to comfort me after my brother's SEAL Team was deployed in that danger zone? She was later crying because she was so happy. But she also mentioned that she felt guilty, because she 'left you there with _them_.'"

Helga's eyes looked like they would bulge out of her skull.

"I...I never expected that from Olga..."

Louis smiled.

"There's a lot you wouldn't expect from her, and a lot she doesn't expect from you. What I've noticed about the two of you is that both of you don't seem to give each other enough credit. Olga routinely underestimates your intelligence and isn't responsive to your needs. You on the other hand seem quite defensive, to the point where you just don't let her in despite her good intentions. Maybe there's a good reason for that, but I think the two of you should have a nice, long talk, just like we're doing now."

"That might be hard." Helga answered.

"It might, but think what you can gain if you work everything out. You'll have a sister who loves you."

Helga looked downward.

"My relationship with my brother is the most important thing in my life. He brought out my potential and turned me around. Of course I can't guarantee that Olga will do for you what Henry did for me, but I think you guys do need each other. Only the two of you share the same experience of growing up in that house, and that matters a lot."

"...Why are you doing this?" Helga asked skeptically, but weakly.

"Because I want to help Olga." Louis replied. "And well...I think she's right. You deserve better."

Helga looked meekly down at the lake, again.

"That didn't stop you from stealing the spotlight of my play the night you came with your grand entrance!" Helga huffed.

"In case Olga didn't tell you, entering like that was not my intention. I just needed to go to the bathroom, so I came in a bit later." Louis smirked.

Helga widened her eyes and then slowly smirked back.

"Olga didn't mean to either. When she came in, people just swarmed her. That tends to happen. She actually complained to me about it at Chez Paris afterward."

The two shared a light laugh.

"Helga, for what it's worth, I thought your play was great. It was both very creative and historically accurate. I would never expect that sort of thing to come from a ten-year-old. You're very talented."

Helga gazed up at him, then looked down at the water again.

"Oh, by the way. I saw that you like Wrestle-Mania. You were watching it on TV the other day."

"You like Wrestle-Mania?" Helga asked with an involuntarily hopeful look.

"Yeah, sometimes." Louis grinned. "It isn't as good as it was when I was a kid, but it's a nice diversion every now and then."

"You watched all those guys when you were a kid huh? Yeah, I wish I could've seen some of that stuff." Helga answered enthusiastically. "Guys like the Cavalier and the Olympian Freak."

"The guys now have nothing on them. I assure you." Louis grinned.

"Yeah, Slam Jam VI is coming up real soon. I wanted to go last year but...other circumstances got in the way." Helga finished, not admitting the events with her father leading up to his well-intentioned mishap.

"Hmmm..." Louis thought, before observing his surroundings. The sky was getting pink as the sun made its daily retreat. "C'mon, it's getting late, you better get back home."

The two began to walk out of the park. A few blocks away from the Pataki household, Helga bumped into someone and fell to the ground.

"Oh, sorry Helga!" A voice she loved beyond anything sounded out, like music to her ears.

"Arnold?!" Helga responded dreamily as he helped her up. "I mean...watch where you're going _football head_! Are you blind or something?!"

Arnold sighed. "It was an accident Helga." He then noticed a chuckling Louis. "Oh, hi!" He greeted, surprised to see him with Helga.

"Nice to see you again." Louis responded.

"Well, I better get going...I'll see you later Helga."

Arnold walked off, and Helga swooned for a millisecond before frowning once more. Louis was still chuckling.

"What do you find so funny?!" Helga gritted.

"Nothing." Louis dismissed with a smirk. "Well, this is as far as I go." He declared after the two walked a few more blocks and came upon the porch of the Pataki household.

"You're not coming in?" Helga asked, surprised.

"Nah, I have an early meeting with another client tomorrow morning and I don't want Olga trying to tie me down." He grinned.

Helga looked up at him apprehensively.

"You'll be fine." He assured. Just talk to her like you talked to me. "You feel better now, don't you? You'll feel even better after that, trust me."

Louis looked at Helga one more time and then began to walk away. He did not look back. Helga sighed and took a deep breath as she walked up the steps of her porch and opened the front door.


	13. Vulnerability, Part 2

Helga continued to breathe deeply as she stepped inside her home and closed the door. It seemed a battlefield now, perhaps even more than usual. Her feet were carrying her forward, almost involuntarily, up the stairs. Her thoughts were protesting every step of the way. Each movement was a struggle. But still, her feet trudged onward. To her surprise, Olga's door opened. For what seemed an eternity, the two sisters stared at each other. The same set of blue eyes with the same somber expression bored into the opposite from each sister.

"Hey." Helga finally greeted blankly.

"Hello Helga." Olga answered back in the same tone.

Helga began to clutch her dress in nervousness.

"I had a long talk with Louis..." Olga sighed.

"Me too..."

"I know." Olga answered.

"Hm?" Helga looked up at her in surprise.

"I saw the two of you out my window..." She trailed.

"Oh..."

Silence came over the two sisters once more and they awkwardly stared at each other again.

"He said that the two of us should talk..." Helga finally trailed weakly. "Can we...go in my room...?"

Olga only nodded and followed Helga inside her room, closing the door behind her. Helga was about to speak when Olga interrupted her, saying something which caused her great surprise.

"Helga, I owe you an apology." Olga stated.

Helga looked up at her incredulously.

"Louis was right, as he usually is." Olga sighed. "Helga, I'm sorry. I guess in all my excitement and my desire to bond with you I left out the most important thing - actually listening to your concerns, and being there to help you."

Helga kept her arms folded, still not sure what to say.

"I guess you were right. I was being a bad sister, even if I didn't see myself that way. Don't hate me too much for it Helga, I just wanted to show you the love and attention that deep down inside, I always knew _they_ didn't show you. I just went about it all wrong I guess." Olga sighed as she looked toward the floor.

This caused Helga to stammer as she attempted to find words.

"Don't think it isn't a lot of pressure on me too, baby sister." She sighed and looked toward her. "I really do get sick of having to perform all the time. You must think I enjoy all of it. Of course I like to be praised Helga, but too much of it can really start to become a burden - all the expectations, all the pressure. I may come across as perfect, but it doesn't mean I am."

"Then why do you soak it up?" Helga asked instinctively. "Why do you hog all the attention and revel in it?"

"Well baby sister, a lot of it is just involuntary. I don't ask for it. It just comes, and I don't want to be rude. I don't know if Louis told you this or not, but on the night of your play I really did mean to listen to you. It's just...Miss Slovak and everyone else..."

"Yeah, he told me." Helga sighed.

"The bigger reason though, Helga, is that if I do well, I can keep things at least somewhat peaceful and orderly in this house."

"What do you mean?" Helga looked up at Olga wide-eyed.

"Well..." Olga sighed. "Before you were around, when I was really little, mommy and daddy used to fight all the time. I mean _really_ fight. They fought like you wouldn't believe, Helga. If you think they're dysfunctional now, you simply haven't seen how things were when I was a little girl."

Tears began to well up in Olga's eyes, but she wiped them off. Helga listened intently.

"I swear daddy would yell so loud that you could hear him all the way down the street, and mommy would be crying constantly. It was a lot for a little girl to have to live with."

Helga now stared up at her sister sympathetically.

"Anyway Helga, this lasted for a while, but then when I started to get As on all my spelling tests, something amazing happened: they would stop fighting, at least for a while. They were proud of me. When daddy entered me into all these spelling bees and I won those, it helped even more. So I figured, if I could just keep on doing that, if I could keep on winning everything then maybe things would get better. And in truth, they did. If I was their perfect little girl, there would be at least a semblance of peace."

"And was me being doomed to non-existence part of that _peace_?!" Helga asked somewhat angrily.

"I'm sorry Helga." Olga apologized again. "I know that I might have contributed to that situation. But all those years of habit are hard to shake off, and I was worried about you too. It might have been even worse for you if I _didn't_ continue on as always. Judging by the fact that daddy and mommy aren't fighting with the intensity that they used to, it's worked. That still won't make me not feel bad though. I'm sorry. I'm sorry about the way they treat you." Olga wiped some tears away.

"But...Olga...if you really _do_ see it, why don't you _do_ anything about it? If you see all these problems like you say, why do you always act like nothing's wrong?"

"Well baby sister, force of habit might be one reason, or sheer optimism another. Deep down I always knew it was foolish, but I hoped that if I could just keep on going, if I could keep on seeing the bright side of life, and pretend like nothing's wrong, maybe the problems would go away..."

"But...they haven't..."

"I know Helga." Olga sighed again, trying not to cry. "I know they're affecting you, and that I was too indifferent to you in _action_ if not in _thought_. Louis made that abundantly clear to me and I see it now."

"If you always knew all of this then why? Why do you refuse to address any of the problems in this house? That's what I need!"

"I know it's what you need, Helga. But the truth is, I'm scared. I'm frightened beyond belief."

This surprised Helga. "You're...scared...?"

"Yes Helga. I don't think you've ever seen daddy when he's really, _really_ angry. He's terrifying. I used to hide in the closet and cover my ears, hoping I would disappear and never have to face him. I just...I don't ever want to see that again, let alone...let alone..._face it_. Maybe it's irresponsible of me, maybe just continuing on as usual and pretending like the problems didn't exist was ultimately bad for you and cowardly on my part, but it at least allowed _me_ to have some peace of mind. And I'm glad you didn't need to see any of what I saw. As for mommy...well, I've known for a long time about her own problems, and that she sees herself living through me. I didn't want to let her down any further. Still I've been letting her get away with neglecting you too." Olga now began to burst into tears. "Oh Helga, I'm so sorry! I'm so sorry that I've been allowing this to continue!"

Helga sat there on her bed for a moment, stupefied, watching Olga cry. It was like the words coming out of Olga's mouth finally made her see that these problems existed.

"I...I never thought that you were facing such a hard time yourself..." Helga finally trailed. "I thought that when _you thought_ you got that B+ last year for instance you were crying because you just..."

"I was disappointed, but I just...I think it was my unconscious way of defending myself and keeping everything calm around here..." Olga answered weakly.

"Olga, I'm sorry too." Helga finally admitted. "You see I've been in therapy for a year now, and my therapist Dr. Bliss told me that I needed to tell you how I really felt. Maybe it just came out wrong..."

"No, it came out right." Olga breathed as she wiped tears from her eyes. "My head was so far up in the clouds that I was really believing my own delusions. You and Louis knocked some sense into me. Look Helga, we haven't always been very close, but I want to be there for you. Please..."

Helga cut her sister off and embraced her in a tepid hug. Olga returned it warmly.


	14. Tepid Bonding

"Olga! Glad to see you in the kitchen again!" Robert "Big Bob" Pataki greeted his daughter as he returned home. "Something smells good! What're you making?!"

"Oh daddy!" Olga gushed. "It's going to be Teriyaki tonight! Chicken, steak, and all the yummy noodles and veggies you can eat!"

"Olga, where do you want me to put these..." Helga was cut off when she bumped into her father and fell to the floor, dropping the potatoes she was carrying.

"Hey! You watch where you're walking missy!" Bob chided. "You're gonna ruin dinner if you keep your head in the clouds! Why can't you be more like your sister?!"

Helga growled at her father as he turned back toward Olga. "So Olga, when's it gonna be done?" He asked excitedly.

"It'll be done in no time daddy!" She cheerfully answered.

"Great. Great. I'll be in the trophy room!" Bob said and patted Olga on the back before leaving the room. "It's great to see you back to normal, Olga!"

Helga continued to growl at him as he left, while Olga just looked back at her sister. The two shared a knowing look before Olga got back to work. Helga would have been angry with her before, but now she knew.

Now she knew why Olga continued onward as if nothing was wrong.

* * *

><p>"Olga..." Helga trailed later on that night. Helga was in Olga's room this time. Both were wearing their nightclothes.<p>

"I'm sorry Helga, I wish I could have defended you...but I..."

Helga sighed. "No, that isn't what I was going to say. I at least understand your perspective now..."

An awkward silence developed between the two sisters. Both of them were still getting used to this.

"Helga, I'm going to be honest with you..."

"What is it?"

"I won't be here for long."

Helga would have loved to hear those words just a day ago. But now that she felt like she was truly starting to connect with her sister - and from the heart, not from Olga's air-headed desires, she felt pained by those words, and dreaded to hear the answer to her question: "What do you mean?"

Olga sighed. "Helga, I've been planning on moving in with Louis for a while now. The real reason he's out here is because he's pondering moving since he wants to expand and do business here. The taxes are also lower and things like that..." Olga trailed. "So he's out here checking things out and questioning if he wants to have his primary residence here for a while, or if he'd rather just stay in Maine. Whatever he decides to do...I'm going to follow him."

"So you just came back to..."

"To check on how everything was doing, introduce Louis to the family, and give myself an easy exit from this house." She sighed. "To make it as least awkward as possible."

Helga felt crushed. Just when she started to feel loved and appreciated by her sister, Olga was now leaving. Not that she didn't understand why. Olga had a lot of reasons to want to leave - not only to be with the man she loved, but to get away from _this_ house, and Big Bob. But still, it hurt. What happened to her feeling guilty about 'leaving her there with _them_?'

"Olga, I understand, but don't you think you're just running away from the problem instead of confronting it, again?"

Olga looked up at her sister somberly.

"I mean I'm not saying that you shouldn't leave the house and all but..." She trailed and sighed. "I was just going to ask...does Louis know?"

"Does he know what?"

"Does he know about...all of this? About everything you told me?"

"No." Olga sighed. "He knows I'm under a lot of pressure to perform. In fact, I really started falling deeply in love with him when he stopped me from going crazy studying." She laughed awkwardly, trying to reduce the tension. "But no...he doesn't know the full story. He _definitely_ has his suspicions though."

"Well, why don't you tell him then?" Helga asked. "He's helped you a lot hasn't he?"

"Yes but, I don't want to get him involved in this. That would be selfish and unfair of me, baby sister."

"Olga..." Helga trailed. She knew that this was the wrong answer.

The phone rang. Olga picked it up.

"Oh hi Louis!" She answered excitedly. "We were just talking about you." She laughed nervously. "Yes, things are starting to get better now. Oh? Oh...OK..." Olga answered disappointingly. "Well, I guess I'll see you in a week then." She sighed. "I love you!" She gushed. "OK, bye. MUAH!" She made a kissing sound, which Helga still found annoying.

"What was that about?"

"Louis is going to Maine after his business deal tomorrow to see to a few things." Olga sighed.

"Hmmm..." Helga pondered apprehensively.

"Look sweetie, whatever winds up happening, we should just enjoy what time we have together now..." Olga trailed, trying to comfort her sister.

Another awkward silence developed between the two sisters.

"How did you guys meet anyway?" Helga asked tepidly, trying to lighten the mood.

Olga began to giggle, and this made Helga break out into a nervous smile.

"He approached me one night after one of the concerts my school's orchestra was performing. I was on the piano of course. It was hilarious because there were a lot of guys surrounding me and trying to make conversation, but Louis just came up to me and said that we 'had to do that interview because he didn't have all night.' Then he just whisked me away, and when I asked him what he meant he said he just made the whole thing up. It was a convenient excuse to get me away from all of them and he said as much. I was laughing because I couldn't believe that someone would actually do that."

The two sisters actually shared a laugh, for perhaps the first time in their lives.

Olga sighed dreamily. "I would have never guessed it at the time, but that night radically changed the course of my life. When I'm with Louis I can actually _relax_. For the first time in my life I don't need to worry about being a perfect little windup doll. I can just...have fun and be a normal young woman."

Helga smiled lightly at her sister.

"You know, for the first time in my life, I actually felt loved, I mean really loved. One time after I was preparing for a really hard final...I overheard him talking about me with his brother on the phone. And he was _angry_. I've rarely ever seen him get angry, but this time it was because he was angry about, again, all the pressure I was under. The fact that he was angry on my behalf, and taking precious time to talk about me to his brother, who was on deployment at that moment and had a limited window to talk to Louis...the fact that he used some of that time to talk about me is something I'll always cherish." Olga's eyes began to get watery, but Helga didn't mind this time.

"His bother who's a Navy SEAL right?" Helga asked. "Louis told me a bit about him. That guy must be pretty amazing. Have you...?"

"No." Olga smiled as she wiped her eyes. "I've never met Henry, only exchanged a few fleeting words with him on the phone. But I want to. I want to thank him for everything he's done for Louis."

"And he really did a lot, given that picture Louis showed me." Helga grinned.

The two sisters again shared a laugh.

"Well...I was pretty dorky too." Olga laughed. "It all makes me wonder about the person you're going to turn into."

Helga looked down at the floor, not knowing what to say. Olga interrupted by continuing to speak. Even now, with the situation changing, Olga was the talkative one and she was the brooder.

"Helga, there'll come a time in your life when you'll find a boy who brings out the best in you and will help you be your best self. That's still some years off for you baby sister, but be on the lookout. And when you find him, don't be afraid to open your heart and devote yourself to him."

Helga's eyes sank and she looked at the floor again for a moment. She instantly began to think about Arnold. He certainly did have all of those effects that Olga described. Little did she know that she found that boy now. Still, Helga was not at all ready to tell her sister about Arnold, much less tell the football head himself.

A knock on Olga's door interrupted the moment and a split second later Bob peeked his head through.

"Hey Olga. I was just wonderin', are you planning on making that exotic coffee tomorrow morning?" He asked with an excited grin.

"Sure thing daddy." Olga smiled happily.

"Great! You keep all this up and I'm gonna have to put another notch in my lucky belt!" Bob grinned before he walked away, revealing a tired-looking Miriam. She smiled lightly.

"Oh, my two girls." She slurred. "Anyway Olga, I'm glad you're feeling better." She said before walking away.

Olga was relieved when she heard her parents' door shut, and she and Helga again shared a tepid embrace. Olga was letting out the pressure she felt. Helga could sense this. She _really_ needed to tell Louis everything, Helga thought.

"Oh my, don't you have school tomorrow?" Olga asked in a moment of recognition.

"Uh...yeah, I better get to bed." Helga replied, walking toward the still-open door. "...Olga, I really hope you stay here in the city." Helga squeaked weakly before she left.

"I hope I do too, baby sister."


	15. Protector

Helga still couldn't get over how ridiculously lame Olga's car was. She felt like it was a monstrosity that somehow found its way to the present from the 60's, and needed to be sent back there as quickly as possible. The music Olga was playing (a girly, sissy love song) didn't help the atmosphere either. What _really_ annoyed Helga the most was when Olga would sing along with the song, like she was doing now.

"_Oh, kiss mebeneath the milky twilight_

_ Lead me out on the moonlit floor _

_Lift your open hand_

_Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance _

_Silver moon's sparkling _

_So kiss me!_"

Helga wanted to throttle her sister. She growled lowly, and Olga was blissfully unaware, still chiming along as she drove. Well, at least they weren't stopped at a red light, she thought. Still, Helga began to think, it was kind of her sister to offer to drive her to school. This was still superior to having Harold constantly belch behind her on the bus.

"Alright here we are!" Olga squealed in delight. "Have a good day at school Helga! I'll be back to pick you up!"

Helga smiled lightly at her sister and waved her goodbye.

"Konichiwa Helga!" Helga turned around to look at a smiling Phoebe.

"Easy on the Japanese, Phoebs. We just got back."

"Easing!" Phoebe replied. "Helga, I noticed that you drove here today with your sister. Has your relationship with Olga improved?"

"W...w...well..." She began to babble. "Sort of..." She breathed.

"That's wonderful!" Phoebe chimed. "Perhaps with an improvement in your relationship with your sister your...home situation might not be..."

Helga crossed her arms, and Phoebe knew it was time to shut up.

"So, what do you say we put something gross in Arnold's desk?" Helga said as they walked towards the building.

* * *

><p>"Class, since you're all back, it's time I give you your newest project."<p>

"Ohhh..." A collective sigh went up as Mr. Packenham began to talk.

"Now now, that isn't the spirit I want you to have! This is a project I want you to pour your creativity and heart into! I want you all to reflect on something you did over the break - something that was of extreme importance to you!

"Ohhh..." The sigh resounded again.

"How lame can you get?" Rhonda asked haughtily.

"That plan really bites." Stinky quipped.

"That isn't true! Times of leisure are often the best for your own personal self-reflection and development!" Mr. Packenham continued. "I'm sure that you all did something memorable or exciting with one of your family members this break, for example!"

Helga's subconscious reaction was to bite her lip nervously.

"And so, I want you all to put those thinking caps on and show your feelings! Be creative!"

Helga put her chin in her hands and began to think.

* * *

><p>"Hey football head how's it goin'?" Helga asked as the two stood next to each other in the lunch line.<p>

"You seem happier today." Arnold observed with a smile, almost knowing the reason.

"What's it to you, Arnoldo?" Helga retorted with a frown.

"Nothing." His smile didn't fade. "I just think it looks good on you, that's all." He replied as he moved away to get his food.

Helga's face swooned. "Oh..." She whispered huskily. That's it. She thought. She would indulge this.

* * *

><p>Helga got into Olga's car.<p>

"Gosh baby sister, you look so happy! Did something interesting happen that I should know about?" She gushed.

"No, nothing." She dismissed with a light, knowing tone.

* * *

><p>"Olga, where've you been?" Bob asked as she and Helga returned home.<p>

"I was picking Helga up from school, daddy!" She answered happily.

"Oh yeah great." Bob dismissed. "Anyway, your mother and I were talkin' a bit." Olga's eyes widened.

"It's been a few days since you played the piano for us, and we missed hearing that!" Bob continued.

"We just started talking about how you used to play when you were a little girl...and then...we remembered how you just got better and better before our eyes and...oh, those are great memories!" Miriam gushed.

"So we were just wondering if you could..."

"Mommy, daddy, I'd like to, but I have to fix dinner and I know you don't want to miss that! But was there something you needed Helga?" She asked.

"It's OK, I need to do some homework anyway." Helga said to Olga.

"OK then, I'll see you at dinner Helga." Olga replied and walked into the kitchen. Bob and Miriam were gushing with each step she took.

Helga began to contemplate what she would write for her assignment as she walked up to her room.

* * *

><p>"Well class, I've finished grading your assignments." Mr. Packenham stated a few days later. "I must say that all of them were quite good, but I wanted to take this time to share with you the one that I thought was the best. This one was actually a poem that one of you wrote."<p>

Helga swallowed hard.

"_Though you and I have in past parted ways,_

_And I thought I'd end my days,_

_Feeling contempt for you and all your airs,_

_Fate has decreed,_

_That on this break you would show me that you have your cares_

_For me!_

_The fact that you care,_

_May lift my despair,_

_That for years has left me,_

_With a soul in gloom._

_Though the future's uncertain,_

_I'll pull up the curtain,_

_And welcome your caring,_

_Compassionate gestures,_

_And try to understand you,_

_As you try for me, _

_Sister._"

"I found this very feeling and raw, compassionate." Mr. Packenham continued, but the class only laughed at it, particularly Harold.

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" He laughed. "I'm just glad that it wasn't me who wrote that or I might be a big fat loser! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" The class laughed along with him, catching the contagion. Helga sat perfectly still, her fearful instincts to freeze taking over her body.

"Now now now class!" Mr. Packenham interrupted. "This was by far the best and most creative assignment I've gotten! You all could stand to learn a thing or two from it!"

The bell mercifully rang.

"OK, we'll continue our discussion on human biology after recess!"

The class slowly began to file out of the room. Harold however put his arms out to stop Stinky and Sid.

"What's up Harold?" Sid asked. "Why aren't you of all people rushing to eat?"

"Yeah Harold, it's pizza day today and I want to go, on the count of I really like pizza!"

"Let's go look at that poem and see who wrote it!" Harold laughed sinisterly.

"Why? If we get caught we'll be in trouble!" Stinky objected.

"Yeah Harold, is it worth not eating pizza?" Sid asked.

"I'm the boss and we're doing it!" He growled.

Harold looked around. Mr. Packenham left last, not noticing the three and turning off the lights, closing the door. Harold, Stinky, and Sid snuck quietly to his desk. Stinky looked out the window to make sure nobody else was coming. Harold and Sid lifted the cover of his manila folder.

"Heheheheheh." Harold laughed quietly as he rummaged through it. His eyes darted to and fro, scanning for any relevant text. Within a minute, he found what he was looking for. "Here it is!" He said excitedly.

"Oh wow it's by...!" Sid began.

* * *

><p>Helga was talking to Phoebe. The two of them grabbed a couple of four cheese pizzas. Just as Helga was about to tell a joke, she heard a loud, unwelcome voice, directed straight at her.<p>

"LOOK EVERYBODY! IT'S _HELGA_, THE GLOOMY SOUL!" Helga's blood went cold and her eyes widened. The entire room was staring at her but she didn't even begin to compute this. The only thing that she could contemplate was how fast her heart was beating.

"WHAT'S THE MATTER HELGA?! DO YOU NEED TO GO HOME AND GIVE YOUR SISTER A BIG SMOOCH SO YOU'LL KNOW SHE CARES ABOUT YOU?! AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The entire cafeteria started to laugh. Helga suddenly felt very small and vulnerable, and also as if a bandage had been painfully ripped from a still raw wound, causing the bleeding to commence again.

"YOU BETTER NOT COME NEAR ME, OR I MIGHT JUST HAVE TO BARF!"

The cafeteria still laughed louder. Helga's eyes buckled for a moment, and she could just barely see Phoebe and Arnold looking at her in concern. Helga's instincts took over and she growled lowly. She turned her head to view the laughing Harold and began to march in his direction as if she were going to war. Harold continued to laugh until Helga came up to him, grabbed his collar, and punched him straight on the nose. She'd hit him harder than she had ever hit anyone in her entire life. The cafeteria let out a collective gasp as Harold _thudded_ onto the floor.

"OW! OWEY!" Harold winced in pain and collapsed to the ground as he felt the blood beginning to spurt.

Helga wasn't finished yet. She grabbed the nearest tray and slammed it down on his face, aggravating his nose even further.

"OH OW! THAT HURTS!" Harold cried.

"LISTEN YOU BEACHED WHALE! IF YOU EVER TALK TO ME LIKE THAT AGAIN, THE NEXT TIME I'LL!-

"Miss Pataki!"

Helga gasped along with the entire cafeteria to see Principal Wartz staring at her with his arms crossed.

"My office, now!" He demanded, as Harold was helped up and inevitably led away to the school nurse.

* * *

><p>"Do you realize that you've broken Mister Berman's nose?" He asked sternly.<p>

"But, but, he..."

"That was a rhetorical question, Miss Pataki. You could be in a lot of trouble for this you know, you could even be sent to juvenile hall!"

Helga's blood went cold, once again.

"However, Mister Berman has convinced his family not to press any charges. Still, you're going to be suspended from school for three days. And you will be responsible for the repairs to Mister Berman's nose." Helga looked downward and didn't say anything. "Yes, you can come and take her home now."

Helga turned to see Olga' concerned face looking at her through the threshold of Principal Wartz's door. Helga didn't say a word as she walked outside. Olga signed a few papers and took Helga out to her car. It was raining lightly.

"What happened Helga?" Olga asked as she began to drive home.

Helga looked out the window with her arms crossed.

"Helga, why don't you tell me...?"

Helga sighed. "We had to do an assignment for class relating an experience we had over the break." She began blankly. "Mine was a poem I wrote to express how I felt about you but it wasn't meant for anyone else to see. Somehow Harold got a hold of it and he started making fun of me in the cafeteria and I...just..."

Olga looked touched.

"Oh Helga, it'll all turn out OK." She tried to reassure, but Helga wasn't so convinced. She knew what would be coming next.

The two pulled into their driveway. Olga parked her car and they got out, going up to the front door. As soon as they opened it, they heard:

"AW WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S GONNA COST ME 100 BUCKS?!" Big Bob growled. "PUNCHED HIM?! AWWW THIS NEVER WOULD'VE HAPPENED TO OLGA!" He peered at the front door opening and saw Helga come in. His frown deepened, and he showed some teeth.

Helga and Olga looked up at him with widened eyes. Miriam stood behind him, drinking a smoothie.

"Yeah yeah yeah, alright." He growled and slammed the phone down. "Report to the Trophy Room right now, Missy!"

Helga frowned and stomped inside.

"So why am I told you hit that brat and now I have to pay his deductible to fix his broken nose?!" Bob growled.

Helga crossed her arms, not answering, only glaring.

"WHY CAN'T YOU LEARN HOW TO BEHAVE YOURSELF LITTLE LADY?! FIRST YOU GO TO THERAPY AND NOW THIS!"

Her arms tightened and her glare narrowed even further.

"WHY CAN'T YOU BE MORE LIKE YOUR SISTER?!"

"Daddy..." Olga trailed with a smile.

"What is it, Olga?"

"I was actually planning to show you and mommy something today." She began. "I learned how to play the Minute Waltz in my record time - blindfolded! Do you want to see? I need to show somebody!"

"Mhmmm!" Miriam hummed gleefully. "Now that sounds exciting!"

"Alright Olga..." Bob breathed, beginning to calm down. "That actually sounds pretty astounding!" He turned to frown at Helga. "Get your fanny in your room, Missy!" He ordered. "You don't get to see this!"

Helga got off the chair and moved toward the foyer. She exchanged a knowing look with Olga as Bob and Miriam moved toward the piano.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you, baby sister." She whispered.

Helga looked as Olga moved toward the piano, while she moved toward the foyer. She saw Olga put a cloth over her eyes and begin to play. She sounded like she always did - sublime, but Helga could see that Olga was working very hard as her fingers moved as fast as usual. She knew she must be putting every ounce of effort in her consciousness to make this perfect, and while Helga greatly appreciated this gesture on her behalf, a single thought began to permeate her mind as she made her way up the stairs.

"But who's going to protect you, Olga?" She sighed sadly.


	16. Fault Line

The next few days at the Pataki household were filled with an unspoken tension, or at least that's what Helga and Olga felt. Bob and Miriam seemed oblivious. That was probably because Bob had no doubts as to the rightness of his actions. Helga was to stay in her room and not come out until her suspension from school was lifted.

For a while, this became the accepted status quo, but the fault line erupted into an earthquake when Helga picked up the phone.

"Helga? How are you, is everything OK?" Phoebe's voice sounded through the receiver.

"Eh? I'm fine Pheebs. How's the tub of lard?"

"He came back yesterday, wearing a protective mask around his nose. He looks pretty stupid." Phoebe giggled.

"That's nothing new." Helga replied with a smirk.

Both girls laughed.

"Anyway Pheebs what's going on with..."

"Hey hey hey hey hey!" Big Bob growled and stomped over toward Helga. "I told you no phone calls and no visitors!" He grabbed the phone and slammed it down on the cradle. "Get back to your room missy!"

"But dad! Can you just let me ex..."

"I don't want to hear it little lady! Get back upstairs!"

Helga frowned and marched back upstairs with a growl.

* * *

><p>Olga brought food up to Helga's room. She spotted her brooding on her bed.<p>

"Why won't he just let me explain?!" Helga growled as Olga set down the tray for her.

"Daddy's stubborn. You know that baby sister." Olga sighed as she watched Helga eat.

Helga swallowed. "And of course Miriam couldn't care less. I haven't heard a single word from her on my behalf these past few days."

Olga put her head in her hands and sighed as Helga took a few more bites.

"Olga...why don't you do anything...?" Helga trailed, almost afraid to ask.

Olga perked her head up. "Huh? I have been protecting you Helga."

Helga sighed. There was still unsettled tension between her and Olga after all.

"I mean, why don't _you_ explain to Bob what happened? He'll listen to you, won't he?"

"I very much doubt that, baby sister..." Olga trailed. "It really doesn't make sense to try."

"Ol...ga..." Helga growled, somewhat annoyed, which caused Olga to backtrack. She sighed. "How long are you going to be afraid of him?"

Olga put her head in her hands again, not saying anything for a while and just eying her and shrinking back. Helga knew that she touched on a sensitive subject for her sister. She was afraid to even answer. Helga sighed.

"I'm sorry, Olga."

"It's alright Helga." She reassured. "Everything will be OK, I just know it!"

Helga sighed again.

"I'll try to help you, any way I can Helga."

* * *

><p>"That smells great Olga!" Bob complimented later that night. "What are we eating today?!"<p>

"It's Indian food tonight daddy!" Olga answered.

"Smells spicy. It'll be great!"

"Daddy..."

"What is it Olga?"

"Well...I don't mean to intrude but, maybe Helga can sit with us tonight..."

"Huh? The girl?"

Olga meekly nodded. She looked over to see Miriam sitting down at the counter with a blank expression on her face, looking toward the two of them.

"Eh...alright Olga. If you want her down there."

"Helga! Dinner!" Olga called.

A few moments later, Helga made her way quietly down the stairs, pigtails flopping. She silently moved into the dining room, avoiding her father as best she could. Olga brought the food into the dining room and quietly, the Patakis began to eat.

Helga tried to make as small movements as she could. It was quite ironic to her that during a rare time she was noticed by her father, it was in a way she'd prefer to avoid. She even instinctively tried to minimize her chewing noises.

"Daddy, did you know that I might have a job at the Philharmonic waiting for me?" Olga smiled, trying to break the silence.

"Oh really honey?" Miriam finally asked in a reserved voice with a smile.

"What's this 'might' business?" Bob asked.

"Well I've been talking with them. They're looking for another pianist. And they were impressed with my abilities."

"Then what's the problem dear?" Miriam continued to smile.

"Well, I'm not quite sure of..." Olga sighed as she caught Helga's eye. Both knew why she wasn't sure.

"Not quite sure of what?" Bob asked.

"...I'm not quite sure if they've made a decision yet." Olga giggled lightly.

"Oh they will honey!" Miriam gushed.

"Yeah, that's my girl!" Bob grinned excitedly. "Why can't you be more like Olga?!" Bob asked to Helga, who froze, and then frowned.

"Maybe because _I'm not_ Olga, and I don't _want_ to be Olga!" Helga growled with a ferocity that surprised everyone, even Bob. Olga and Miriam gasped.

Olga's heart raced. She realized her diversion tactic had backfired.

"So you just want to go around costing me money and blabbing everything that goes on in this house to the thought police is that it?!" Bob growled.

"Oh B..." Miriam trailed, but said nothing more.

Helga snorted and looked away.

"Are you mocking me, missy?" Bob growled. "You cost me money and then you mock me? Well, Olga was wrong about letting you come down here. Get back up in your room!"

"Fine!" Helga growled as Olga and Miriam again gasped.

As Helga marched back towards the stairs, she exchanged a glance with Olga, who tried not to show any emotion towards her and play the part of the perfect daughter as usual. Well, Helga was getting sick of that charade, now that she knew it really was one.

She returned to her room and stayed there.

* * *

><p>"Baby sister..." Olga trailed as Helga sat quietly on the couch the next morning. It was Saturday now. Bob was at work and Miriam was sleeping.<p>

"I know you were trying to help, but even then all he does is compare me to _you_ and then I get punished!"

Olga twiddled her fingers nervously.

"Why can't you actually defend me...?" Helga stopped. She saw Olga was beginning to cry, and the revelation that this was a very sensitive subject for her sister again dawned on her.

Olga could think of nothing to say, and hugged Helga instead. Helga silently returned the embrace, still confused, but happy at least for this. The hug was interrupted a few moments later by a slight _tap_ on the window. Both girls turned to see a young man outside with a somewhat cocky smirk on his face.

"I'm glad to see the two of you are getting along better!" His somewhat taunting voice, though muffled, could still be heard through the window.

"LOUIS!" Both girls shouted at once and rushed to the door.

He laughed when Olga rushed into his arms and kissed him repeatedly, and Helga grabbed his leg with a smile.


	17. Stress Before Tomorrow

"Oh I missed you so much Louis!" Olga gushed as they walked inside. "Did anything interesting happen in Maine?" She probed.

"Nothing much." He answered, but not giving her the information he knew she wanted. "Just business, although I do have some exciting news." He beckoned Olga and Helga to sit down. "I talked with this guy...turns out he does a lot of work with a certain company..." He grinned, attempting to build up suspense. He was staring right at Helga.

"Helga, when we talked, you told me that you wanted to go to Slam Jam last year, but you couldn't."

Helga's heart was beating fast, while Olga merely looked up at him as he paced.

"As I was saying, it turns out that this guy has done business with a certain company, that company being Wrestle-Mania, so one thing led to another and..."

Helga's eyes were lighting up. Louis was smirking as he noticed her inch ever closer to the edge of her seat.

"I got the tickets, Helga. Tomorrow, we are going to see Slam Jam VI."

"Oh my gosh! Oh my gosh!" Helga screamed and jumped up and down as Louis pulled out the tickets.

Louis laughed as she reached up to try and hug him. At 6'1", this was not an easy task for Helga, but he indulged her as best he could. He gave her her ticket and she poured over it with tremendous enthusiasm.

"Got one for you too babe." He grinned as he moved over to Olga and handed her a ticket.

"Oh...just what I always wanted to see...!" Olga hesitated with an embarrassed smile and giggle, trying to sound enthusiastic as she received her ticket.

"C'mon Olga. It's like Henry always said to me: variety is the spice of life."

"I guess..." Olga answered as she read the ticket and put a finger on her lip.

"Anyway, I figure I'll come over and meet you girls tomorrow morning, we go out for breakfast, and then we go to Slam Jam."

Helga looked up at him with a wide grin while Olga's look was a cautious smile.

"Can you stay here today?" Olga asked, her hands clasped in hope.

"No, there's some things I need to do today."

Olga looked up at him longingly, pleadingly, her lips pursed. Louis chuckled.

"Those big blue puppy dog eyes aren't going to work this time. They do make you look cute as ever though."

"Louis..."

"I know. Don't worry Olga. We'll spend time together, more than enough to make up for last week." He grinned. "Just get your cute butt ready for tomorrow." He flirted, causing Olga to blush and giggle. Louis' grin grew and he grabbed her by the arms, pulling her close to him. He tilted her head up and moved his own down, but Helga's voice interrupted the motion.

"When did I get invited to see this? Get a room!" She frowned up at them with her arms crossed.

Olga blushed in embarrassment while Louis only chuckled and pecked Olga's lips anyway.

"I'll see you guys tomorrow, alright?" Louis asked when he let Olga go. He patted Helga on the head and then began to walk to the door.

Helga looked at Olga with a knowing glance and then down at the floor, then back up to Louis, almost desperately. Olga unwittingly mirrored Helga's look.

"...Is there something the two of you want to say?" Louis asked curiously.

"No." Olga smiled. "I'm just looking forward to tomorrow, that's all."

"...Alright then." Louis answered, not entirely satisfied that she was being truthful. "I'll see you girls tomorrow."

Helga looked up at Olga warily as Louis exited, and she returned her gesture somewhat sadly.

* * *

><p>The night went by relatively uneventfully, with Helga avoiding any family situations like dinner. Olga was growing more and more worried about her. She knew that this situation could not continue, but was still fearful. Would it all go back to 'normal' when Helga returned to school on Monday? She was unsure, and feared even the thoughts of attempting to rectify the situation.<p>

Olga began to cry. She said that she would protect Helga, but was powerless when it really counted. She felt pathetic.

"Hey Olga!" Bob knocked on her door.

"Yes daddy?" Olga answered.

"You gonna practice any of those pieces the philharmonic is currently playing again tomorrow morning? Your mother and I loved hearing that stuff!"

"Not tomorrow morning daddy. Louis came back today and I'm meeting him for breakfast." Olga answered relatively unenthusiastically.

"Oh!" Bob answered in surprise. "Well tell him I said hello!"

Olga's eyes unconsciously followed Bob's footsteps as he made his way outside her room. She turned off the light and sighed. How could her father be so unfeeling? How could he not sense her distress? Olga's thoughts began to run away with her, preventing her from falling asleep. She was worried about Helga, and ashamed that she was so terrified to speak on her behalf. It was like a hidden wall that she could not break. At the same time, she was excited about tomorrow, and couldn't wait for it to come. It was just what both she and Helga needed, and it was not surprising to Olga that Louis was the source of it, or the betterment of her relationship with her sister for that matter.

"Louis..." She sighed, longing to be held in his strong arms.

* * *

><p>"Oh Arnold, my love, rock of stability upon this sea of chaos in which we live, why must I be doomed to worship you in darkness? When will my feelings finally see the light? How I long to be held by you. How I long to whisper in your ear how much I adore you! How I long for you to sweep me up and take me away, and fly with me through the bright summer sky! And then, with you my love, I'll be free at last. Oohhh!" She sighed and fell onto her bed. "Aw man that was good!" Helga muttered to herself, pleased.<p>

Helga also smiled when she observed her ticket in the darkness. She was excited beyond words to go to Slam Jam VI. She thought about last year, when she wanted to go to Slam Jam V. Her father tried to get tickets, but got the wrong ones. Regardless, it was still one of the few pleasant memories that she had of him.

Suddenly, Helga began to uncharacteristically cry. She couldn't make sense of it at first, since she was still excited about tomorrow, but she supposed that her tears came because she was reminded of how her father's failure was one of the few times she'd ever received affection from him. Would it forever be her destiny to feel unloved by her parents, and remain a ghost in this house, only visible when she did something wrong? To remain the thorn in Bob's side?

"Arnold..." Helga trailed as she clutched her pillow.


	18. Slam Jam VI

Rays of sunlight began to pierce through Helga's window, moving their way around her curtain and shining into her face. She wiped the sleep from her eyes and excitement began to fill her mind. Helga ran into the bathroom to brush her teeth and get ready for the day. When she turned to leave the room, she saw Olga, still in her nightgown. The two shared a silent smile as Helga walked out and Olga came in. Helga saw that Olga was already beginning to move her cosmetics around and put out the hues that she wanted.

Helga sighed. These behaviors of Olga's still annoyed her. They were going to a wrestling show, not an opera! Criminy. She hoped this wouldn't take long, or interfere with anything _she_ needed to do. She saw that when Olga was finished brushing her teeth, she began to spread a gel on her face, to moisturize and cleanse her skin. Criminy again. This could take long. With another sigh, Helga went back to her room, got dressed, went downstairs, sat on the couch and waited.

She heard two sets of footsteps coming downstairs and saw Bob and Miriam still in their nightclothes.

"You're up early Helga." Miriam remarked quietly and somewhat curiously.

"Why are you out of your room?" Bob frowned, interrupting Miriam.

"Aw B, she can't just stay in her room forever..." Miriam trailed tiredly.

"But it isn't forever Miriam, it's until she goes back to that school of hers. The girl needs to be punished for what she's done to me!"

Helga growled but the doorbell interrupted her thoughts.

"Aw criminy who could this be?" Bob grunted and looked outside. He was surprised but looked pleased and opened the door.

Louis stepped in, and Helga breathed an immense sigh of relief.

"Loumeister!" Bob grinned. "Good to see ya gain!"

"How you guys doing?" He asked as he took off his sunglasses . "Hopefully I didn't disturb you."

"No, no, everything's fine." Bob assured. "I've started some online sales too!" He informed.

"Olga's still in the bathroom getting ready." Miriam informed.

"I expected as much, Misses Pataki." He answered and turned his head toward Helga. He smiled at her and moved over to the couch to sit beside her. Bob and Miriam retreated into the kitchen. "You look like you got ready fast."

"Unlike Olga. She'll probably be in there for hours." Helga replied.

"Hey now, she wants to look good for me. I appreciate that." He grinned.

Helga crossed her arms and looked up.

"Good things come to those who wait." He chuckled at her impatience.

"...So...it's gonna be Gargoyle vs The Headhunter for the title tonight..." Helga said somewhat nervously. "...Who do you think's gonna win...?"

"Headhunter. It's his time." Louis responded. "Gargoyle's been so dominant as champ that they're gonna set up the perfect way to change the title and create a new star."

"Uh, yeah, I think so too..." She twiddled her thumbs.

"But I must say the ladder match between Hawkeye and Metalhead is the one I'm _really_ looking forward to."

"Oh yeah!" Helga suddenly sprang up. "Me too! That's definitely gonna be the match to see!"

Louis looked down at her somewhat teasingly. Helga blushed and Louis laughed, causing her to smile.

"So when did you start to watch Wrestle-Mania anyway?" She asked.

"Ah, I just remember watching it with Henry when we were kids, and then contrary to what they tell you but little boys will never, ever listen to, Henry and I would go out back and do some backyard wrestling and he'd beat the crap out of me." He was laughing. "Then we'd go back and do the same thing next week. Aw man, I was such a wimp. Henry was always stronger than me. Good thing he got me into that gym later on in life. He'd still beat the crap out of me though, even if he wasn't a SEAL." Louis was still laughing.

Helga twiddled her thumbs again nervously.

"Aw. I know it might have hurt not to have had a relationship like that. But you've got Olga now, and me too."

Helga smiled up at him and then the two heard soft footsteps coming down the stairs. They turned to see Olga with a soft look on her face, wearing a casual, but also elegant dress and stockings.

"Criminy Olga it took you long enough! Look at you."

"Indeed." Louis smiled flirtatiously, which caused Helga to scoff and roll her eyes.

Olga ran over to embrace Louis and he gathered her in his arms with a laugh.

"I missed you." She sighed and kissed him repeatedly.

"C'mon now Olga, we need to go." He teased. "Helga, let's go."

She got up and moved toward the door, cautiously sharing a look with Olga as she made sure that Bob didn't see her go.

* * *

><p>"Wow, these are real good seats!" Helga smiled when they sat down. They were in the front row of the second deck, giving them a very good bird's-eye view of the ring that was almost level, plus a balcony they could easily rest their feet on when no one was coming by. "Who do you know anyway?"<p>

"People." Louis grinned, snaking an arm around Olga. "You alright babe?"

"Yeah." Olga sighed contentedly and rested her head on his shoulder.

"C'mon Olga, don't go to sleep!" Helga teased.

"It's just so relaxing Helga." She sighed again.

The pyrotechnics of the show's opening ceremonies startled Olga and jolted her up in her seat, much to Louis and Helga's amusement. It would not be the first time these tendencies of hers showed themselves.

* * *

><p>The crowd was going wild, Helga among them. She stood on her feet and pumped her arms in the air in excitement, while Olga's eyes bulged in disbelief.<p>

Metalhead had climbed to the top of a ladder. He must have been thirty feet in the air. Beneath him Hawkeye was lying helplessly on a couple of tables. He paused, looking out at the crowd, breathing deeply and pointing at everybody. The crowd cheered even more. Metalhead slowly took his eyes off the crowd and moved them down to his opponent below.

Olga's eyes were buckling and concern spread across her face.

"Oh no no no!" Olga burst out. "He's not gonna..."

"Oh he's doing it!" Louis answered with an emphatic grin, surveying the scene in anticipation. The excitement had swept through him too.

"This is gonna be sw-eet!" Helga yelled.

Metalhead took in another deep breath and looked down, poising his body.

"I can't watch!" Olga whimpered and squinted her eyes, putting her head down.

"You're such a wimp, Olga!" Louis chided. Grinning, he gently grabbed Olga's face and moved her head to view the scene. Her eyes burst open and Louis prevented her from closing them. "You're watching this." He teased.

Olga began to move her arms up to Louis' hands, not that she could overpower him.

"Helga, pin her arms down!" Louis called.

Helga gleefully complied, grabbing her sister's hands and pinning them to her seat.

"I hate you!" Olga responded with a frustrated smile.

"No you don't." Louis instantly teased.

Helga chuckled at seeing them go back and forth.

"Here he goes. Right now." Louis said in anticipation as Olga trembled under him. "Right now!"

Metalhead jumped from the top of the ladder, splashing down onto Hawkeye and breaking the tables under him with an audible crash. The crowd roared in a huge outpouring of delight. Helga and Louis stood on their feet and cheered. Olga's lips quaked and she sank into her seat.

Louis and Helga were laughing at her while chants of "_Holy Shit!_" erupted from the crowd.

Helga smiled in joy. This was perhaps the most fun she'd ever had.


	19. An Unexpected Invitation

Helga and Olga waved goodbye to Louis when he dropped them off. He walked away without looking back, as usual.

"Bye Louis! Call me!" Helga waved with a content grin.

"Hey, stop trying to steal my man!" Olga chided teasingly.

Both sisters laughed and went inside. Helga was happy. She hadn't had a day like that in some time, perhaps ever. Two great meals with wonderful company and great seats to a show she'd been dying to see.

"So is that really true about Louis' family? The things he was telling us about at the Lake Union Steakhouse?" Helga asked as she and Olga hung up their coats.

"Yes." Olga smiled. "Centuries ago King Louis the fourteenth of France sent one of his sons by his mistress Madame de Montespan to govern the French province of Acadia. This son's name was Louis Henri de Bourbon, and the namesake of my...our dear Louis." Olga continued. She was not wary of telling Helga the story of a royal mistress. She knew by now that Helga was not a naive little kid. "At any rate, the French were forced to give up Acadia to the British after the War of the Spanish Succession, and eventually the name was Americanized from de Bourbon to Burbon. Louis and Henry are the ninth generational descendants of Louis Henri de Bourbon. And from what I've been told, they still have his original portrait hanging inside their house in Maine, along with his sword and something called a field marshal's baton. The house has been passed down unbroken from him to them."

"That's cool." Helga smirked as they walked upstairs. "So in a way, you're kind of dating a prince." She grinned.

"Kind of." Olga smiled softly. "But he'd always be a prince to me, no matter his background."

Helga smiled one last time as she opened her door and went inside her room, signaling that she had enjoyed the day. As soon as she had, she heard Big Bob's voice. She had not closed the door yet.

"Olga! You said you were just going out for breakfast!" Big Bob slightly teased.

"Oh hi Daddy!" Olga greeted, immediately putting her mask back on. Helga recognized that easily now.

"So any word from the Philharmonic?" Bob asked with a grin.

"Not yet daddy." Olga responded. "I just got back anyway, but I felt good about the whole thing!"

"That's my girl!" Bob grinned and hugged her. Then he spotted Helga standing in the doorway of your room. "Hey, keep inside your room!" He ordered. "For once I haven't heard a peep from you all day! You're still punished until tomorrow, so be good like you've been today! I don't want to hear any lip!" He ordered and went away.

Helga growled lowly, clenching her fists and gritting her teeth.

Olga glanced at her and went over to put a hand on her shoulder.

"Just think about the good day we had today, baby sister." She whispered softly.

Helga sighed. Olga still tended to ignore things.

* * *

><p>"I'm telling you Phoebe, it was amazing!" Helga gushed as she and Phoebe leaned toward each other before class began. "Seeing Metalhead jump off that ladder was just so exciting! Leave it to Olga to wimp out of the whole thing! Louis and I had to force her to watch it!" She laughed.<p>

"Well Helga, I'm glad that you had such a good time!" Phoebe chimed.

"Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen you this happy."

Helga and Phoebe turned to look at Arnold behind them.

"What's it to you, Arnoldo?" Helga asked with an instinctive frown.

"You just seem so much nicer this way, that's all. It's good to see you back this way."

Helga turned toward the front, saying nothing at first, and then swooned in her seat with a gushy expression.

"Now now class!" Mr. Packenham began. "First of all, I want to welcome you back, Helga. I actually have some good news for you!"

Helga perked up at this.

"I've received word from the Playwright Society for Boys and Girls. They really loved your play Helga, and so they want you to write a new one and enter the citywide contest they're having in June!"

Helga gasped as Mr. Packenham came over and handed her the invitation to join the contest. To even greater surprise, a sporadic round of applause broke out for her, begun by Arnold, which made it all that more special. Even Harold, still wearing his protective mask and who had not said much to Helga, was applauding her.

"First prize gets to spend a day with the professional playwrights on Broadway, and five hundred dollars!" Mr. Packenham continued. "So, are you gonna enter the contest, Helga?"

"...Maybe..." Helga trailed, still somewhat at a loss for words.

* * *

><p>Helga walked home slowly after getting off the bus. Phoebe seemed excited for her. She still stared at the invitation.<p>

"Two good things in a row." Helga muttered to herself. Maybe times really were changing.

* * *

><p><strong>Only three chapters left. Thanks to all my readers and reviewers so far.<strong>


	20. An Atypical Pataki Dinner

"Olga!" Helga called when she got home.

No answer. Helga hung up her coat and went upstairs.

"Olga?" Helga asked.

The next thing she heard was the sound of a toilet flushing and Miriam emerging from the bathroom a few moments later.

"Your sister...went out with Louis honey." Miriam slurred slowly.

Helga sighed. "Any word on when she'll get back?"

"Oh! Well...she should be back to cook dinner dear." Miriam said, surprised Helga was even wondering where Olga was.

"Thanks Miriam." Helga answered before heading to her room and then sighing again as she looked over the invitation. She should have been expecting something like this. Olga hadn't really had a true date with Louis in a while, and she couldn't expect to tag along as a third wheel every time they went out. Still, it meant she would have to wait. Helga sat on her bed, again looking at the invitation.

* * *

><p>"HELGA! DINNER!"<p>

Helga woke up with a start at the sound of her sister's voice. She gasped and looked at the clock. Looks like she fell asleep. The invitation was still in her hand. Helga put it down on her dresser and got up to go downstairs. She couldn't help but break out into a grin when she saw that Louis was standing on the threshold of the dining room.

"Any idea what we're eating?" Helga asked rather nonchalantly.

"I think Olga had her heart set on Thai food tonight." Louis answered in the same tone. "Were you asleep?"

"Yeah. Guess I just fell asleep when I went to my room." She answered.

"Dinner's ready!" Olga' voice chimed, and the two of them went to their seats.

Helga sat across from her parents, next to Olga. Louis sat on Olga's other side.

"So, did you two have fun?" Miriam asked as they began to eat.

"We did, mommy." Olga answered. "Louis had this idea to go to the aquarium but...you're such a meanie!" She teased him. "You said I looked like one of the fish!"

Helga began to laugh inwardly to herself, covering up her mouth.

"You did." Louis teased back. "It had the same wide-eyed expression, fish face." He continued.

"Stop!" Olga said instinctively, but with a smile.

Louis leaned in to her, breathing slightly in her ear. Olga quivered.

"It also had the same color as your beautiful hair." He growled lowly and ran a hand through her blonde hair, causing her to blush and quiver even more.

Miriam watched the scene with a faint smile on her face. Bob was busy digging into his food. Helga looked up and sighed, poking at her food. She couldn't help but feel jealous. It was nice seeing and interacting with an Olga that was relatively normal, but even now she felt jealous of her. She was very much in love. It was obvious even when Helga was still trapped in her shell. Helga desperately wanted this to happen between her and Arnold, but she was still afraid.

"Ah yeah, that's great." Bob said. "So Louis, you were totally right about the website and the online marketing! I'm on track to see a ten percent increase in sales this month since you got this all set up for me!" He said excitedly.

"Told you." He grinned, snaking an arm around Olga's shoulders. "Everyone in business needs to keep up with the times. Trust me in five years from now it's gonna be much bigger. I wouldn't be surprised if some places sold things exclusively online in the future. Less capital expenses."

"Yeah, that might be true. Anyway Olga, did you get any word from the Philharmonic? It makes me proud that my little girl's gonna be a concert pianist - a real beacon of high culture! Makes me proud to be a Pataki!"

"Well, not quite yet, daddy." Olga shied away. "I'm sure there are other applicants..."

Louis looked down at her curiously, but chuckled and put another bite of food in his mouth.

"Well...actually...speaking of high culture..." Helga trailed shyly, twiddling her thumbs.

The table began to look at her curiously.

"When I went back to school today...I was told that the Playwright Society for Boys and Girls really liked my Presidents' Day play and they want me to write a new one for the annual citywide contest they hold in June. First prize gets five hundred dollars and gets to spend a day with the professional playwrights on Broadway and learn their craft..." She informed, still shyly.

"Oh that's cool!" Olga gushed.

"Oh that's really great, Helga." Louis said at the same time with a smaller smile. "I told you you had a lot of talent!"

She smiled up at him.

"That's nice honey." Miriam also smiled lightly.

"So are you gonna enter, baby sister?" Olga asked.

"I think so..." Helga answered, and her eyes sparkled when she saw Olga and Louis smiling warmly at her.

"Aw that's nothing special."

All eyes turned toward Bob.

"The fact is that Olga's gonna be a professional. She's going to bring great prestige to the Patakis. You're just dabbling in this as a hobby. It's not really high culture or anything, you just got lucky with this. So don't try to compare yourself with your sister. She's been doing this all her life. She deserves the praise."

Helga's eyes constricted and she went silent. She felt like she got hit by a train, and she whimpered. Olga maintained a smile at Bob, but while she ate she darted her eyes to Helga. Louis had a shocked expression with his mouth slightly open, and Miriam took a big gulp of her drink. But Helga didn't notice any of it. She just stared blankly at Bob as he sucked up his noodles audibly.

She was so shocked and hurt that she just couldn't get angry. Involuntarily, tears began to flow down her face, and she hiccuped and quaked. Helga burst out from her chair and ran upstairs.

"Oh geez..." Miriam sighed.

"Anyway Olga. I think you need to keep at it!" Bob grinned. "Maybe you should show up in person again!"

Olga beamed and subtly grabbed Louis' hand, giving it an equally subtle squeeze.

"Maybe I will daddy." Olga gushed. "But they said auditions could last for a few more weeks!"

Louis' expression hardened. He knew what this was. She was not holding his hand to show affection, at least not in her typical way.

She was holding his hand because she was afraid.

She was certainly afraid for Helga, that was unquestionable, but she was equally afraid for herself. So, Louis thought, his deeper suspicions were correct. He was not surprised, but it made him angry all the same. Olga quietly gasped when she saw his expression harden and his other fist clench. In a moment, he took a deep breath, relaxed his fist, and calmed his expression, but it was still a hardened, determined look.

"Olga, will you leave the room please?" He asked with a calm, hardened dignity. Then with a smile, he gently got up and led her up from her seat as well, holding her shoulders. "Go upstairs with your sister and stay there until I call you down, alright?" He smiled sweetly and kissed her for reassurance.

Olga nodded somberly and silently, leaving the room and looking back with a concerned expression.

"Hey Louis...is something wrong?" Bob asked.

Louis didn't turn back yet. He only watched with the same sweet smile as Olga went up the steps.

"Why'd you interrupt our conversation Louis?" Bob asked again, this time a bit more urgently.

Louis slowly turned to face Bob with a regal-looking frown on his face.


	21. Confrontation

"Helga! Helga!" Olga whispered behind a few tears. She found her sister by her room, slumping against the wall. Without thinking, Olga ran up to her sister and knelt down to give her a hug, not that she was very receptive.

"Why...?" Helga finally managed to squeak out. "Why...?" She asked again. "Even when I do something good just...Olga, what are you even doing up here?"

Olga breathed deeply, wiping away her tears and looking into her sister's eyes.

"I think Louis is about to confront daddy." She whispered. "He told me to come up here...Helga, I'm scared."

Helga looked up at her in awe, and then they heard faint voices.

* * *

><p>"Louis...what's the big idea?" Bob asked, now showing a bit of a frown. "This is about Olga's future. I want to know what's happening with my little girl! Don't interrupt that. My little girl is important to me."<p>

Louis laughed haughtily. "_You don't give a damn about Olga._"

It was a remark so acidic, so bitter, and yet at the same time so regal and aristocratic that Bob was thrown off-balance.

* * *

><p>Helga and Olga heard it. Both gasped. They simply couldn't resist and moved toward the stairs, peaking downward.<p>

* * *

><p>"Huh? What do you mean?" Bob asked with a frown.<p>

"Did you not hear me?"

"Are you mocking me young man?" Bob was now growling.

"I don't waste my time mocking. I'm saying you don't give a damn about Olga."

"You're the one that doesn't care about my girl!" Bob continued. "How dare you interrupt our talk about her promising career! I want to know if she got the job!"

Louis laughed haughtily again. "She got the job a while ago, but she's not sure if she wants to take it yet. And I see now why she didn't tell you this. It's because she's so scared of you that she would rather lie and put you off than risk telling you she made a decision _you_ wouldn't find agreeable."

"B..." Miriam trailed as Bob was getting ever angrier.

"What are you talking about? I love Olga and Olga loves me! Olga's my pride and joy! Olga's always made me proud and I've always encouraged her!"

"Yeah." Louis answered. "You encourage her as long as she keeps doing things _you_ like. But you don't really love her. You love her for what she _does_, not because of who she _is_. And she goes along with it, because she lives in mortal fear of defying _you_. I'm just sorry I didn't see it fully sooner."

"You're really making me angry! How dare you question the love I have for my little girl!"

"Good. I'm glad I'm making you angry. Take your anger out on me and not on Olga. Unlike her, I don't really care. As for the love you have for Olga, it's really the funniest thing...you see...last semester Olga was taking an advanced microeconomics class. It was the last elective she needed. It was a very hard class for her. And, though I'd previously talked with her extensively about this, she still went all out trying to get straight A's, even though the course didn't really mean much to her and all she needed to do was pass it. I of course tried to help her as best I could, but I couldn't take her tests for her, I couldn't study for her. She went insane. Do you know how much that was hurting her? Do you know how much she stressed herself out to get an A in that course, and all to make her parents happy? No, of course not, _because you didn't ask Neither of you asked_." The acid returned to his voice.

* * *

><p>Olga sat at the top of the stairs and hugged her knees, leaning her head against the bannister. Tears were flowing down her eyes now. And Helga, still crying, sat down beside her to hug her. A smile broke out on Olga's face, however, because it was heartwarming to her that he'd figured all this out and was now saying it on her behalf, when she had been too scared to.<p>

"If you really loved her you would've been there for her. You would have been concerned. No, you didn't give a damn. All you cared about was the result at the end of the day." His voice carried.

* * *

><p>"So that's it huh? You've got me all figured out?" Bob asked, growling.<p>

"Yeah, that's it." Louis answered. "Even now, you don't care about Olga getting that pianist gig because of anything she wants or doesn't want to do, you only want her to take on that job because of yourself. You've even implicitly admitted it. Guess you can't keep your motivations very secret."

Miriam gasped and watched the scene helplessly. She felt like she was in total limbo, neither here nor there.

Bob gritted his teeth. "Listen, my Olga doesn't need to hear these things! You're poisoning her against me! That's it! You want Olga all to yourself!"

Louis shook his head in pity. "Even now, you still don't get it."

"You didn't raise her! You didn't provide for her! How dare you tell me I don't love my little girl! I built a beeper empire from the ground up and it's supported Olga all the way! Olga and her sister!"

Louis' green eyes flashed in outrage again.

"Don't even get me started on the way you treat your youngest daughter."

* * *

><p>Helga's heart now really began to pound. Olga was still trembling, but held her sister's hand tightly for reassurance, and Helga squeezed it back.<p>

* * *

><p>"The way you treat Helga is atrocious. Did you know that I haven't even once heard you call her by her real name the entire time I've been here? It's like she doesn't even exist - except when she inconveniences you."<p>

"I'll have you know..."

"It seems that you're entirely too focused on turning Olga into what she calls 'your perfect little windup doll.' You spend all your time pushing Olga and causing her an abundance of heartache. Well every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and that bounced back onto Helga. You give her the same thing by not noticing her at all."

"Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! Hey! I've never failed to provide for my daughter!"

"Oh yeah? If that's true than how come when she accomplishes something which by all accounts you should be proud of, you just brush it off? Again, it's because you're too concerned with being overbearing toward Olga. Leave Olga alone for once. She needs it and so does Helga."

Bob continued to growl lowly and grit his teeth.

"Listen, Helga's a good kid and she deserves a chance. And she's not gonna get that chance if she sits around in this atmosphere. Her potential isn't going to show itself if she has no support from the people she's supposed to be close to. Years ago my brother Henry brought that potential out of me, and I would die of shame if I didn't follow his example and do the same when I see other people that need the same help."

"So you're just gonna ride in and save the day, is that it pal?"

"Yeah. I've just bought a place here. I was planning to surprise Olga but I suppose there's no better time to reveal it than now. The only reason Olga held off on taking that job was because she wanted to know whether I would move out here or stay near my family's home in Maine. Either way, she was planning on moving in with me. Well I've decided to move out here. So it looks like you'll be getting your wish. Olga's going to become a concert pianist. Too bad for you though because you aren't going to be seeing her perform any time soon. I'm not gonna let you hurt her anymore."

* * *

><p>Olga gasped when heard this news. She was happy, but she still didn't quite know what to do. Helga was still holding her hand, and Olga squeezed it for reassurance. Helga's heart was pounding even more and she involuntarily swallowed.<p>

Bob was now really beginning to yell, and Olga covered up her ears. He was frantic at the prospect of Olga moving out and not talking to him. This was manifested as anger.

"I haven't seen him this angry since..." Olga whispered, and Helga nodded, knowing what she meant. This was the kind of thing that had frightened her so much as a little girl.

* * *

><p>"B, please stop!" Miriam cried, but Bob wouldn't listen.<p>

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS!" Bob growled.

"Oh yes I can. Olga's a grown woman. She doesn't need your approval to do anything." Louis said, and Bob's lips quivered in rage. "I'll tell you what else I can do: Helga's not staying here either. She's moving in with us."

* * *

><p>Helga and Olga both gasped. Helga's hands were trembling, and Olga held them as tightly as she could.<p>

"How...?" Helga asked in complete disbelief.

"He's up to something baby sister." Olga's eyes sparkled with tears and a smile.

* * *

><p>"Yeah? I'd like to see you try and get her out of here! She's a child. She <em>can't<em> do whatever she wants!" Bob's voice taunted, trying to get some semblance of power back.

Louis laughed haughtily again. "You're not dealing with a child sir." He frowned.

"What do you mean?" He asked with a glare.

"You think I haven't had you scoped out since day one? You think I haven't prepared for this possibility after everything Olga's told me and what I saw? Oh I'm getting Helga out of here alright. And I know just the way..."

Bob continued to glare.

"You see, when I set up all your online marketing, I got a first-hand look at your business. I know everything about it now. I know your strengths, I know your weaknesses. And one thing I'm _really_ good at, and you know this to be a fact, is crafting images and spectacles for the public to consume regarding businesses. So...I can easily run you off the rails. Imagine this for a headline: Big Bob's Beepers: Owned by a man that treats his daughters like complete shit."

* * *

><p>Olga gasped. It was not often that she heard such language coming out of Louis' mouth. It also meant that he was very serious. Helga just looked on, wide-eyed.<p>

* * *

><p>"Oh yeah, that's sure to sell a lot of beepers, isn't it?" He continued. "It doesn't even matter if it's true, and we know it is. Just the rumor alone will be enough to put a serious dent. People love to talk about things that seem juicy, and when you have a crowd talking about it, it must be true, right? Your denials will only make it seem even more true. And the best part is, it's not even libel, because it's all true, and I have all the proof I need. I offered you my hand in help and you took it, just like I expected, but trying to get free lunches can often cost you dearly in the end."<p>

Bob looked on with a broken glare.

* * *

><p>Helga gasped in complete shock, and couldn't help but smile, even beam. What maneuvering!<p>

"So that's what he was up to huh?" Helga grinned, wiping away some tears.

"He can be very devious, Helga." Olga sighed. "I'd rather not have you see it. Sometimes this aspect of his personality _really_ scares me...but..."

"_Bob_ deserves it." Helga gritted.

"Yes he does." Olga agreed with another sigh, wiping away some of her own tears. "I should have known he was 'taking options' as he calls it, on something like this."

* * *

><p>"So Helga is leaving with Olga and I. And you're not going to do a thing about it, unless you want your beeper empire crushed by my barbarian horde. The pun's good, no?" He grinned. "And you..." He turned toward Miriam. "Your aloofness and your utter failure to act on behalf of your daughters only makes the situation even worse."<p>

Miriam gasped.

"Listen, I don't think the two of you are inherently bad people. I just think you're _very_ misguided, but your flaws are seriously hurting both of your daughters, who I actually care about. So I'm stepping in to end it. Until you can prove to me that you can truly love your daughters and be positive influences in their lives, I'm getting them out of here, and you won't be seeing them."

"You...swindling..."

"This discussion is over." Louis said blankly and turned his back, walking toward the foyer.

"NO IT'S NOT! GET BACK IN HERE!" Bob growled and marched out after him. Miriam quickly followed.

"Olga! Helga! Pack your most important things and get ready to leave! I'll send for some movers tomorrow morning to get the rest!" He continued and smirked when he saw them seated atop the stairs.

Olga and Helga quickly looked at each other in shock and scurried away.

* * *

><p>Bob continued to yell loudly. Sometimes it seemed like the walls shook. The two sisters quickly packed what was most important to them in a few large suitcases and moved downstairs.<p>

"HEY! WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?! Bob yelled at them.

Both girls yelped and moved behind Louis, who did his best to shield them from Bob's view.

"That everything?" He asked.

"Yes." Olga answered with a whisper.

"Good. Let's get going."

"YOU WAIT JUST A DARN MINUTE! I AM THEIR FATHER! YOU CAN'T DO THIS! WHY I OUGHTA SMASH YOUR TEETH IN!"

"Maybe if you were ten years younger and actually in shape." Louis smirked as they reached the door. Helga broke out into an audible laugh.

"WHY YOU SNIVELING, CONNIVING LITTLE COCKSUCKER! I OUGHT TO RAM MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS! TAKING MY KIDS AWAY FROM ME AND SAYING HOW BAD A PERSON I AM! OLGA, HOW CAN YOU GO OFF WITH THIS...THIS...LITTLE FUCKING PISSANT!"

Olga gripped Louis' arm very tightly, while Helga shrunk behind him also. He smiled and opened the door for them, to reassure them that all would be well.

"You know girls, it really is a shame..." Louis trailed as he turned back to Bob, without any expression on his face. "...That someone so successful should have such poor manners."

Bob's jaw dropped. That was it. He simply could not respond. Helga's eyes lit up as for the first time in her life she saw her overbearing blowhard of a father shrink in utter, ignominious defeat. He was as helpless as a fish on a hook. He simply had no fight left. Miriam dropped her glass, which shattered all along the floor.

"Let's go." Louis said and led the girls outside.

As soon as the door was closed and they went down the stairs and halfway down the block, Olga hugged him with all her might and showered kiss after kiss on his face. Louis chuckled and hugged her back lightly.

"You should have told me." He said with a serious expression, looking her in the eyes.

"...I guess...I just didn't want you to get involved."

"Olga, you know that I wouldn't shrink from something like this if your well-being was at stake. We're way past the point of not being able to stand up for each other, I would hope."

Olga smiled lightly and sighed.

"You alright Helga?"

Helga answered by hugging him as best she could, and Louis chuckled again.

"That was awesome." She said simply. "Oh man, Bob's never gonna forget this one, ever. Man oh man, you gotta teach me!"

Louis chuckled again. "Well, I think Olga might be able to teach you something too." He grinned as they both looked toward her. "Olga, you were too afraid to confront him yourself, but you probably knew that this was a possibility the moment you brought me over there. So, in a sense, you got me here, knowing that this _could_ happen, knowing that I'd be able to save you and Helga. You brought me here to possibly do what you were afraid to do. In essence, you used me as a type of cat's paw to do your dirty work."

Olga's eyes constricted and a cold sweat broke out on her face. Louis laughed and kissed her lips.

"You are learning entirely too much from me." He smirked. "Oh well, if you can't do something yourself finding someone who can is the next best thing."

Helga's eyes sparkled and she looked up at the two of them. Feelings of sheer joy emanated all throughout her body, like she'd never felt before.

"So...where are we going?" She asked excitedly.

"Ah, it's a decent place not terribly far from here, but we'll need to get a bus for a few stops. I just furnished it today. C'mon."

Helga and Olga glanced down at each other with huge smiles, excited for the future.


	22. Versailles

**This is it: the final chapter of this story. I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed it, which kept me motivated to continue this little side project of mine. I'm generally pleased with how it turned out. I don't think there are enough good Helga/Olga fics out there and I was just motivated to make one. Since I've generally been pleased with this one I decided to explore a different aspect of the show: I've begun a prequel to this fic centered around the initial stages in Louis and Olga's relationship. There isn't really ANYTHING out there regarding how Olga is when she's away from her family, and I wanted to try and explore that topic. The first chapter of that fic has been released in concert with the last chapter of this one. It's called _Fortune_.  
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**Anyway, for those of you reading this, I'm glad you enjoyed this fic, and hope to see you on the new one. Enjoy the last chapter!**

* * *

><p>It had been a little over three months since Helga had moved in with her sister and Louis. She was very pleased with the new house. It was a nice two-story townhouse which actually was within very easy walking distance of Phoebe's residence. This meant that Helga could spend more time with her best friend, a fact that she appreciated.<p>

She hadn't heard a peep from either Bob or Miriam since that night. A few weeks after the confrontation, Helga was informed that legal guardianship over her had been quietly transferred to Olga. She really didn't think Bob cared that much, as long as his beeper business was safe. This made her sad and angry, but these feelings were now muted and manageable because of her new living situation. She wondered what Miriam thought of the whole thing, but didn't plan on contacting anyone in that house anytime soon.

She was told that Bob had tepidly tried to contact Olga a few times and sneak into the Philharmonic to see her perform, but Louis would have none of it, and Bob would not press the issue. He was simply put, terrified that Louis would pull the trigger and destroy his "beeper empire."

Helga sat in her room and laughed. It was such a stupid slogan for his business, even if it was successful. It sounded so pretentious, so blowhard-ish, so...Bob.

Still, Louis took no chances. In the unlikely even that Bob would try something, he had Helga get written affidavits from her therapist Dr. Bliss and her teachers at school. These reported on her progress, describing how much better she'd been doing since moving in with Louis and her sister. Her grades had improved, as well as her noticeable self-esteem. Although she was still bossy, Helga had stopped with the most obnoxious aspects of her bullying behavior, and got along much better with her classmates.

She looked out the window and smiled. Olga had cooked her a good breakfast, as usual. Olga had been kind as the day was long to her, taking meticulous care of her nutritional needs. She did not go to school without a tasty and healthy lunch courtesy of her sister, and Olga's desserts were some of of the most valuable commodities at P.S. 118. Helga had traded them for many a cool trinket at times.

Helga sat in her room this morning though, nervous. Today was a big day for her - the day of the contest held by the Playwright Society for Boys and Girls. With the encouragement of her sister and Louis, she had entered, and in his honor, Helga had crafted a play based around his family history: the court of King Louis XIV at Versailles. Louis thought the idea amusing, and generously allowed Helga access to his ancestor Louis Henri de Bourbon's memoirs (which he had digitized) of his father the King, his life at Versailles, and his later life in North America. Lovingly, she had cast Arnold in the role of Louis XIV. Who else would be worthy to play him?

Helga sighed in a daydream. She had not told Arnold her feelings yet of course, but she was growing more confident every day. Maybe...maybe sometime soon...

Her daydream was interrupted by a soft knock on her door. She knew who that was.

"Come in!"

Olga smiled at her and walked in softly. She was holding an elaborate dress that was wrapped in plastic to keep out dust.

"I've ironed your costume Helga. I think it'll look really good on you today. I just hope the other kids have paid attention to theirs!"

"Thanks Olga."

Olga smiled at her and placed it gently on the bed. She looked down at it gingerly.

"Are you ready for today? Do you want me to go over your lines with you one more time?"

"No, I think I'm ready." Helga answered.

"I suppose so. You've spent so much time with Phoebe on this...and especially with that Arnold kid! He's spent so much time here that he might as well be considered one of my own by now, I've cooked for him so many times!"

"Well...Arnold's the King...and I'm Madame de Maintenon, the King's secret wife. It's natural that we'd do a lot of practicing together."

"I wonder why though. It seemed you had your heart set on Arnold playing the King from the very beginning, and you would be Madame de Maintenon." Olga smiled.

Helga began to blush, and Olga smiled even more warmly.

"And well...you cast Lila in the role of Madame de Montespan, the King's previous favorite mistress...and Louis' eighth great grandmother. Although Madame de Montespan was extremely beautiful and charmed Louis XIV for many years and bore him many children...it was ultimately Madame de Maintenon that supplanted her and won his real love..." Olga trailed with the same warm smile. "And I've heard from Lila that Arnold used to have a big crush on her. He might even still have one, though he hasn't made any more moves." Now her smile grew devious. "Is there some kind of hidden message you want to convey here, my dearest baby sister?"

Helga's blush deepened. "Oh...no! No...nothing like that!" She waved her hands in a nervous voice of denial. "It's just...it's just...Arnold has the calmness needed to play the King that's all and I'm...I'm...the only one smart enough to play Madame de Maintenon!"

Olga's smile hadn't changed. "Whatever you say, Helga." She beamed and exited the room gracefully.

"Whew!" Helga wiped her brow and sauntered over to finish her breakfast, looking back at the dress a few times.

* * *

><p>Helga walked down the stairs carrying her costume. She saw Louis waiting for her.<p>

"Is Olga in the car?" She asked.

"Yeah." Louis answered. "You ready?" He smirked.

"Well...kind of." Helga trailed nervously.

"What do you mean kind of?" He asked curiously.

"Well it's just...there are so many other entrants in this contest from all over the city. I've been thinking about it. I'm nervous. I'm even scared. I've never really done anything like this before, except that spelling bee, and that's only because of Bob. What if all my work comes out to nothing? What if they don't like it?"

Louis grinned and knelt down to get a level view of her.

"Listen. In this world there's no guarantee of anything. You can't go on living by others expectations and thoughts. The only thing that should really matter to you is what's in here." He said, gently poking Helga's head.

"I know, but..."

"Helga, I have to say that I really think this one's a winner. It's ten times better than your last play, and keep in mind I wasn't the only one that thought that one was really good too. I've been to Versailles in person. I've seen it. I've listened and read all the family stories. Versailles is literally in my blood, and I think you capture its atmosphere as perfectly as someone your age can do. It's like Henry said to me: you've pushed yourself harder than you ever thought possible. That's really all that matters. You took a hit from the blowhard, got up, and put on something amazing. All the parents loved your dress rehearsals at school, remember that?"

Helga smiled and nodded.

"But Helga, even that part doesn't matter. All that matters is that you go out there and bring out the best in yourself. Your sister thinks you can win this...so do I...but at the end of the day you need to do this for yourself. Yourself and no one else. And if you're satisfied with what you did, if you've poured your heart and soul into it with no alibis or excuses, then you've really already won, and I think you have."

Helga frowned and looked down at the ground, then back up again with a somber expression.

"I love you Louis." She said in an almost teary expression and threw her arms around him. He returned the embrace.

"I love you too." He smirked and then stood up. "C'mon or you're gonna be late." He declared while patting her on the back, moving her subtly towards the door.

"OK!" Helga said excitedly and rushed outside, taking one last look at the foyer of this, her new and beautiful home, cherishing it every day.

Olga honked her horn, and Helga turned to look at the stupidly-painted car. It was so annoying and girly! But Helga loved it all the same, and her sister, and everything that had to do with her. As Louis locked the door and got into the passenger seat, Helga only smiled and hugged them both before the car took off toward the Civic Auditorium.

It was the same place as the spelling bee from before, the same place where Olga had won many of her own trophies, which she had happily discarded from her concerns, leaving them behind in the past. Helga felt the same. She had come full circle, and the Civic Auditorium was a good place to end it all. Now she only desired one thing: to put on a good show and push herself as far as she could.

She was no longer really concerned about winning.


End file.
